Cyclone Michaung: How poor infrastructure, phone and internet connectivity has put a dampener on TN govt's WFH order

Even WFH couldn’t come to the rescue of companies’ business continuity plans in Chennai during the recent cyclone Michaung which, with its unprecedented 45 centimetres of rain over a span of a day and a half, brought the city to a grinding halt without power, telephone and internet connectivity.  

Apart from being an industrial nerve centre, the southern city is also a major global IT hub. Tamil Nadu contributes nearly 10 per cent to the Indian IT Sector and houses as many as 1,300 tech centres, Chief Minister MK Stalin had said on March 2023. Besides, Chennai accounts for 10 per cent of all the Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India.  

“Poor city management during the recent rains highlighted business continuity challenges in Chennai. With no power; no internet; no cellular service; WFH was not possible. As a major GCC and IteS Hub, this raises the question of Chennai’s viability as a ITeS/IT GCC,” Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman of private equity fund TVS Capital Funds, posted on X (Twitter) on Wednesday. He is a third- generation entrepreneur from Chennai’s well-known TVS Family.  

The city is home to several tech and IT parks such as DLF Cybercity in Manapakkam, Embassy Splendid Techzone in Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram, Gateway Office Parks in Perungalathur, Ramanujan IT City and Ascendas International Tech Park in Taramani. Videos on social media showed many of the key IT hubs such as Sholinganallur under water.  

On Monday, the airport was shut and several trains were cancelled. The roads were flooded for two days, cutting off access to key business areas and halting economic activity. Chennai also witnessed widespread power outages, putting a dampener on Work-From-Home plans of employees and organisations. Even in areas where power was restored, residents faced disruptions to telephone and internet connectivity, making it difficult to work from home. Several areas continue to face patchy connectivity, although the water level has receded in many parts of the city.  

While most offices reopened on Wednesday, employees are yet to return in full strength. Businesses are still assessing the extent of economic loss and damage, but experts peg it to be to the tune of several crores.  

Cyclone Michaung, which hit Chennai just a month before its planned Global Investors Meet on January 7-8, 2024, has raised questions about the city’s preparedness as an attractive investment destination. Other major Indian business centres such as Bengaluru and Mumbai have also faced similar situations recently in the face of natural occurrences.  

Also Read: Cyclone Michaung: Cyclone weakens into deep depression, 40 lakh people affected; top points