When citizens are kept in the dark

POWER PROBLEMS

The City has been facing the problem of unannounced power cuts for a few weeks now. In South Bangalore, power cuts have become a routine in the mornings. 

It is a huge hassle for all Bangaloreans, especially the students who are preparing for exams. Subhash, a resident of Belandur, says that though the situation is better now, he had a tough time preparing for his semester exams.

“When my semester exams were around the corner, we used to have power cuts from 10 am to 2 pm. Sometimes, there would be no electricity till 3 pm. But I had to complete my portions. So studying in the candlelight was the only option for me.

Since my apartment does not receive much sunlight, I had to struggle the whole week. BESCOM usually informs residents about power cuts in advance. But this time, there was no announcement. In fact, Belandur was not the only area affected. Sectors 1 and 2 of HSR Layout also faced similar power cuts at that time,” he informs.

Many inform that in the third week of December, there was no power from 11 am to 8 pm in most areas around the Outer Ring Road. Sunil, a resident of Padmanabhnagar, states that the area faced power cuts from 10 am to 5 pm on most days last week . 

“A lot of work had to be put on hold due to the unscheduled and unannounced power cuts. Even now, the power goes off for at least an hour a day in our area. Residents should be informed about power cuts in advance so that they can plan their day accordingly,” he informs.

BESCOM, on the other hand, says that it has received no such complaint from any resident or resident welfare associations. 

“We would have looked into the matter if we got a complaint from the residents. Our complaint cells work 24/7. The callers are even given a docket number which helps them track their complaints and see the status of the work done,” says Jayanti, the manager of public relations, BESCOM.

For many others, the nightmare continues. Bhavik, a resident of Ejipura, says that the area keeps facing power cuts every now and then. As if this wasn’t bad enough, these power cuts often lead to a water crisis here.

“We had a water crisis in December as there were power cuts on most days in the mornings and afternoons. Though the power still goes, the situation is better than last month. Initially, we thought this was because of a technical snag. But when it started to occur daily, we realised that it was more than just that. What made the situation worse was that we did not have a clue about these power cuts and were caught unawares,” he sums up.