Residents of village near Ambur oppose Tangedco’s decision to relocate office

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Residents of Periyankuppam village near Ambur on Saturday staged a road roko on Alankuppam Main Road against Tangedco’s attempt to relocate its office to Alankuppam village.

Most of the villagers prefer to register electricity-related complaints, make bill payments, and apply for new connections and farm subsidies directly at the office as they are not familiar with the online process. The Tangedco office is located at the heart of the village, making it more accessible to them.

“The plan to relocate the local Tangedco office will put to hardship consumers, especially senior citizens, as they cannot travel to the new office, which is proposed to be set up around one kilometre from the present office,” said B. Vasanthi, a resident.

The office caters to at least six remote villages, including Alankuppam, Solur, Kannadikuppa, and a portion of Nayakaneri village with around 8,000 consumers.

However, Tangedco has incurred a monthly rent of ₹5,000 for the office that has been functioning from a rented building for almost a decade now.

Officials say they have been searching for buildings that could be used free of cost for many years to cut down on expenses.

The search ended when last year the Alankuppampanchayat officials offered a new building for free. With funds from the block development office, the building was renovated by the local panchayat at a cost of ₹30 lakhs. The panchayat allegedly made the proposal to make it convenient for its residents to redress their grievances.

Subsequently, local Tangedco officials got a nod from their higher ups to relocate to the new building at the earliest.

Periyankuppamresidents say they came to know of the relocation only when the Tangedco officials were looking for an auspicious day to inaugurate the new office.

On Saturday, residents blocked the key stretch, obstructing traffic on the route for more than two hours. They dispersed after talks with police and revenue officials.

“Tangedco is ready to function in Periyankuppam village if we get a building for free. Otherwise, we have to relocate to a new building in the neighbouring village as instructed by higher officials,” said a Tangedco official.