Hours-long power cuts leave Kottur residents in TVM, traders exasperated

Kattakkada: Hours-long power cuts have become a recurring headache for residents and traders in Kottur and neighbouring areas of Kuttichal panchayat. Locals say even dark rain clouds are enough to trigger a blackout, with power outages reported frequently during both the day and night.

The disruptions are causing considerable inconvenience to households and affecting commercial establishments, while power supply often remains suspended for several hours at a stretch.The prolonged outages are particularly worrying for families with patients who depend on refrigerated medicines, as repeated power cuts can render these life-saving drugs unusable.

meanwhile, power supply is also routinely switched off at several locations from morning till evening to facilitate the cutting of tree branches along power lines. Besides these scheduled shutdowns, unexpected faults in the distribution network keep the area plunging into darkness for hours.

The outages have become disruptive during the Onam season, when businesses depend on uninterrupted power supply and shops remain open until late in the evening. Dark, rain-laden skies during the day also increase the need for electricity at commercial establishments.

Residents said repeated complaints to Electricity Board officials had yielded no results. They have urged the authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply, at least during the festive season and take urgent steps to rectify recurring faults and prevent unannounced outages.