CHENNAI: AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran on Saturday accused the TVK govt of plunging Tamil Nadu into darkness through administrative failures in the power sector. He questioned the repeated explanations of maintenance work and technical faults for unscheduled power cuts.Referring to the power outage at the world-famous Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai during the visit of Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan and EPS, Dhinakaran said the incident had exposed negligence and administrative lapses in the electricity department.He said Tangedco, which had refused to acknowledge complaints about unscheduled power cuts despite protests by residents, businesses and industries, had given contradictory explanations for the temple outage, first citing maintenance work and later a technical fault. Such explanations, he alleged, were attempts to cover up the failure.Listing a series of controversies, including erratic power supply, billing irregularities, smart meter tenders, contractual recruitment and a proposed tender for costly power purchases that was withdrawn following public criticism, Dhinakaran accused the department of functioning without direction or accountability.Taking a dig at Energy Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar, he said the minister had been interfering in every issue, only to expose himself. He questioned whether the problem lay with power supply or the administration.The AMMK leader also questioned why Chief Minister Joseph Vijay had failed to act against the minister despite repeated assurances that action would be taken against negligent officials. He alleged that the department had been in disarray over the past five months, causing hardship to consumers.Demanding immediate administrative reforms, Dhinakaran said people needed an uninterrupted power supply, not excuses from the electricity board. He urged Vijay to ensure reliable power supply across the state.
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