On March 30, 2020 the Tamil Nadu government stated that no power connection will be disconnected for non-payment of electricity bills in Tamil Nadu till the lockdown period ends.
This has been said by the State Electricity Minister P Thangamani. The minister has further stated that Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has been instructed to not disconnect any power supply till 14th April, 2020.
He thanked the workers of electricity board who have been working to ensure uninterrupted power supply across the state. Around 80% of the staff are showing up amid the lockdown. He also stated that faults and repairs are immediately being attended to, to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
The state power demand has dropped by around 4500 MW and domestic power requirements have increased since people have been staying indoors due to the ongoing pandemic. TANGEDCO has incurred loses of over Rs. 300 crores in the last few days due to the demand of electricity across the state.
The number of cases in Tamil Nadu have reached 50 and the government has sent 1763 samples for testing out of which 1682 returned negative.
Author - Dyuti Pandya