Dark ordeal for 1,500 families enters third day
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Over 2000 families in Kakkanji Nagar near ICF bus terminus are living without electricity since Tuesday after the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited’s (Tangedco) disconnected illegal power supply to them.
The families haven’t been able to get electricity connections because they have been living on Chennai Metro Water land.
Though the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has proposed to construct tenements for slum dwellers near Ambattur, the project is yet to take off.
Most of the inhabitants of the slum are daily wage earners who have been living there for over 20 to 25 years.
“We are living here because we cannot afford to pay higher rents elsewhere,” said Saravanan, an auto rickshaw driver.
He said that they had been taking power from the Slum Clearance Board Tenements adjacent to their locality after paying a sum of Rs 500 to Rs 700 a month.
Apart from the worry of snakes and rats making their way into the electricity-deprived houses, school-going children are the worst affected as they cannot prepare for their forthcoming quarterly examinations in absence of even streetlights in the vicinity.
“There are over 600 students who are studying in various primary and high schools nearby.
Examinations are nearing and the students do not know how to prepare without power supply,” said Mr Samarasam, a resident.
With no streetlights, it has become virtually impossible for women, children and old people to leave their houses after sunset.
Mr Dilip, a daily wage earner wondered why Tangedco had cut power when they agreed to move to the tenements to be constructed for them at Ambattur.
“How long can we live here without power as it may take at least a couple of years for constructing the tenements,” he said.
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