Cheer up citizens. With Deepavali around, can there be darkness? No way. In keeping with the festive week, and Deepavali, which is meant to dispel darkness, the government has prudently announced that there will be no scheduled power cuts and load-shedding in the City.
Of course, the government has cited its own reason for the measure: Given that there was good rainfall this monsoon season, the demand from the agricultural sector is less. “There are sufficient resources.
So, we can assure consumers that there will be no power cuts this Deepavali . If any extra demand arises, we will use hydel and thermal resources to meet it. During Deepavali, demand increases by four-five per cent, besides the normal consumption. But since it’s a long holiday, most commercial and industrial units will be shut.
So there would be no problem,” Bescom Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey said.
During pre and post-Deepavali, there is more lighting load demand. The normal average consumption in Bangalore City is 80 million units per day. Last year, during pre and post-Deepavali time, consumption increased by four million units (120-150 mega watt).
But the number of consumers compared with last year has also increased. So, the consumption units are likely to be higher this year.
The normal monthly consumption in all Bescom areas is 1,100- 1,250 million units; of which 540 million units are for industries alone.
Pandey reasoned that consumers travelled to their native places. Most commercial establishments have a long weekend, most industries will be closed, hence the lighting load demand would be met.
“We are prepared to handle the festive rush and ensure the festival of lights does not get spoilt for people. Maintenance works have also been done. Recently, the peak load Bescom experienced in 24 hours was around 4,000 mega watts.
So, we can assure the consumers that there would not be power cuts during the five festive days.