Electronic appliances conk out over power fluctuation in houses at Agraharam

Namakkal: Electronic appliances in more than 100 houses at Agraharam in the Pallipalayam municipality conked out on Wednesday, owing to intermittent fluctuations in the power after electric poles were damaged in the two-day thunderstorms in the area.Residents of the area held a demonstration against Electricity Board (EB)officials, including assistant engineer Ramadurai, when they came to inspect the snapped power lines, demanding compensation for the losses.There are more than 500 houses in Agraharam, where many families of power loom workers live. For the past two days, thunderstorms lashed Pallipalayam in the evenings."During the rainfall and strong winds, electric wires tangled with each other, causing power outages," said V Pushpavalli, a resident.After Electricity Board staff temporarily repaired the outage, residents said the electricity supply remained intermittent, with fluctuating voltage. "This resulted in fans, refrigerators, washing machines and TVs in more than 10 0 houses being damaged," said Thowlath Khan, another resident.Ramadurai said, "The EB cannot do anything about events that occur naturally. We will talk to the officials and resolve the matter."Electricity Board employees were working to repair the damaged electric poles that were disconnected from the grid.(Photos: S Parthiban)