Power drought in C'magalur

Consumers left high and dry as they dont get water in time

Summer heat has already dried the crops. Houses have not been supplied with water since several days.

The flour mills have stacked gunny bags of wheat, ragi etc of customers and mothers at home have not been able to roll yummy chapattis or make ‘Ragi mudde’ because the homes have run out of stock of flour. Mobile phones are constantly showing low battery sign.

Spending days and nights have become difficult because fans do not run anymore. Housewives are grieving because they have not been able to catch up with their favourite serials. Well, all these problems and many more have become a common scene in Chikmagalur due to ‘drought’ of electricity. Left in lurch the people are only cursing the electricity supply company.

The district requires a total of 130MW electricity, that is 40 KV for Chikmagalur division and 90 KV fro Kadur division. Unfortunately, the Government has been supplying only 65 to 85 MW per day. According to the direction from head office the load shedding is scheduled during peak hours to save electricity. If supply is not shut down as per schedule, then central unit does it by itself. Mescom Engineers say that they are helpless because they have to run the show with half the supply of their requirement.

The power usage is the highest from 6 am to 9 am and from 6 pm to 9 pm. In rural area, power cut is scheduled from 6 am to 12 noon on one route and from 12 noon to 6 pm on another route. This is done on rotation basis. 

While electricity is supplied for 22 hours in towns and cities, rural region gets 18 hours of electricity supply.

Mescom Executive Engineer C S Vijay Kumar said that in the cities the power cut is scheduled fro half an hour in the morning, afternoon, evening and night.

Balehonnur, Sringeri, Koppa, NR Pura region are not receiving quality power. This is because the 66kv route implemented here is old. However KPTCL has started the work of upgrading this line. Unfortunately, certain objections from environment department, cases pending in court have posed impediment for the completion of the work. Due to all these problems, the 33kc route is supplying electricity to this region. 

While single phase electricity is being provided from rural feeders from 6 am to 10 am, three phase power is supplied in the night from 10 pm to 2 am. The farmers say that the pumps cannot lift adequate water during this duration on three phase. 

Hence, they have required the authorities to extend the duration. They have kept forth the demand for extension of time keeping in mind the dependence of children on electricity for studies as examinations are going on. 

“How to read in single phase electricity? I prefer candle light instead of the single phase for studies,” says Adinarayana, a PG student.

However, SSLC students Akshatha says that she wakes up at 5 am to study and finds that power goes off at 6 am when it is still dark. 

“Power cut in the morning and in the evening should be stopped. Let them do it during the afternoon when everyone has finished their work,” she says.

Sub station

Chikmagalur, Aldoor and Balehonnur region receives electricity from 220kv feeder from Hasan to Mugulavalli. Kadur station, which has capacity of 220kv, receives power on central grid, Shimoga MRS and Hiriyur. Kadur division is supplying electricity to Kadur, Birur, Ajjampura and Tarikere regions. 

The district gets maximum of 85 MW electricity and minimum of 65MW. The district has the challenge of meeting the demands of the consumers with the limited supplies. One new sub station is under construction at NR Pura. There are 15 sub stations functional in Kadur division.

Illegal pump sets

It is said that there are over 2,000 unauthorised pump sets in Chikmagalur division and 6,000 in Kadur. This too is posing challenge for power supply in the district. 

Coffee estates and plantation nurseries use 40 hp pump sets and it is said that the department has to recover Rs 12 crore from this sector alone for usage of power.

Further Chikmagalur division is yet to pay Rs 16.50 crore and Kadur division is yet to pay Rs 22 crore as Gram Panchayats have not paid the bills for drinking water and street lighting.

Chikmagalur City Municipal Council too has not paid Rs 4.50 crore pending electricity bills for water supply.