For the citizens of Tamil Nadu, each day passes in a deadbeat with a dire burnout and annoying dusk as millions of people are enduring suffering in running their daily lives in the midst of being caught between intense heat and incessant power outages. While the state is experiencing typical summer weather, the scale of its intensity in several parts along with unannounced power cuts have been leaving the lives of people in a lurch. 

Tamil Nadu has been recording a big jump in the temperatures since March which had put the people in a state of complete exhaustion and what irks them more is the power cuts across the state that has been taking away the light of relaxation for the people who were toasted by the heatwaves. The incessant power cuts have been testing the DMK administration while it has also become a talking point for the opposition parties. With several districts facing power outages during the nighttime, the state government is taking efforts but they are yet to signify a holistic output. 

While Chennai is being scorched up by summer, the city is not facing the power outage on a scale that is being faced by other parts of the state. However, all the adjacent districts in Chennai are searching for unhindered electricity. In the wake of the coal shortage, several establishments in Tamil Nadu that are in generating power have stopped their operations, which had implied that the worst is yet to come for Tamil Nadu as the power outage would steer longer. The power cuts have sparked unrest among the people and the opposition parties are protesting against the ruling DMK regime. 

On April 20, several districts in Tamil Nadu including Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai, Karur, Kanyakumari, and Tirupathur had faced power outages that lasted for several hours from evening to midnight. The dearth of electricity had troubled the residents as they lost their sleep amid having a day of burnout in scorching summer. While some had stood in front of their houses, others had resorted to the terrace with the hope of the resumption of the electricity. These power outages have come when several parts of India are facing a shortage of coal. 

On the other hand, the residents in Tamil Nadu had complained that the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) officials didn't respond to their repeated calls. The power outages have been a major point of debate in the ongoing assembly session where the ADMK legislators are staging a walkout from the assembly by slamming the DMK government's failure in tackling the power outages. 

On Thursday- April 21, Dr Ramadoss, the founder of Pattali Makkal Katchi, has demanded the state government initiate preventive measures against frequent power cuts. He said that it is the duty of the electricity board to be prepared for such unexpected events and to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. Even several parts of Madurai had also witnessed severe power outages on Thursday and the electricity department officials had said that they had received informed that the state is purchasing power from private companies and that such outages won't happen in the city in the coming days. 

Responding to the protests and unrest, Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji said that non-availability of 750 megawatts of power from the central generating stations to its southern states resulted in an electricity shortage. He further said that the power supply of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) was increased to overcome this burden and steps are being taken to procure power from the private sectors. He further blamed a sudden decline in power supply from the central grid for the unscheduled outage in several parts of the state. 

Several residents in Chennai have said that children and senior citizens are suffering more from the power outages in the city and the residents living in the outskirts are also been experiencing such power cuts for several hours as they are pushed to the hardship of battling both the intense heat and the incessant power cuts. While the state government has been taking steps to mitigate the suffering endured by the people, Chief Minister MK Stalin has on Friday - April 22 written to Prime Minister Modi to provide a sufficient amount of coal to Tamil Nadu to tackle the power outages. He also urged the Prime Minister to direct the Coal Ministry to provide 72,000 metric tons of coal to Tamil Nadu per day. Meanwhile, experts say that Tamil Nadu may witness an 8-hour power cut in a day if the shortages aren't addressed in due time.