TVK govt struggling to meet high power demand due to indifferent attitude: AIADMK leader RB Udhayakumar

RB Udhayakumar. File | Photo credit: G. Moorthy

The TVK-led Tamil Nadu government is struggling to meet the high demand for power in the state due to its indifferent attitude, alleged AIADMK leader RB Udhayakumar.

He said in a statement that while power demand has increased to 21,000 megawatts, the state is reeling under a shortfall of 5,000 megawatts. Although Tamil Nadu’s power consumption exceeds 20,000 megawatts during summer, its consumption touched 21,000 megawatts during September.

“This has led to unannounced power cuts and people are subjected to untold suffering, especially loss of sleep due to power cuts at night,” the former minister said.

He charged that the TVK government did not take any preventive measures. It failed to predict the growing demand for energy. It is the responsibility of the government to step up energy production and make efforts to obtain it.

Since the TVK government took charge, the state has been facing power cuts for several hours. The current power outages adversely affected students who were preparing for the upcoming quarterly exams. He pointed out that in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Kulithalai, Ambasamudram and Tiruvallur, incidents of people besieging TANGEDCO offices and blocking roads protesting power cuts were reported in the last 10 days.

“Power Minister (CTR Nirmal Kumar) is trying to pass off the responsibility for the decline in power generation at windmills. But this raises a serious question whether the TVK government has paid full attention to power generation, which is an indispensable and basic need of the people,” he said.

Published – 13 Sep 2026 11:45 IST