'Punishment' power cut hits exams, spoils research at BU

A squabble between energy officials and Bangalore University has badly hit students who are left to grope in the blackout on the Jnanabharathi campus from Saturday.

The power cut, effected by Bescom, has not only hampered the students’ exam preparations, but has also ruined months of research work on the campus. 

The blackout could not have come at the worst time for graduate students, who are having their exams now, while research students saw their specimen culture and expensive chemicals kept in cold storage in various laboratories go waste. As a result, researchers have lost nearly a year of valuable work.

Problems began with the university’s refusal to allow an electricity project running through 1.76 kms of the campus. Varsity officials turned it down saying it would damage roads laid at a cost of Rs 12 crore, besides damaging old trees and buildings.