Tumakuru: EV charging stations gather dust as BESCOM fails to power up

Tumakuru: The electric vehicle (EV) charging stations started by BESCOM in the City have become mere showpieces. Both the centres are non-functional and a notice saying ‘do not touch’ has been stuck on the charging machines.

The charging stations were set up last year near Horapete and Kyathsandra in the City. Each centre has two machines, making a total of four charging units. Each machine has a power capacity of 50 kilowatts. However, they have not been functioning properly for months.

About nRs 28 lakh was spent on the charging machines and another Rs 10 lakh on basic infrastructure, taking the total cost of one centre to nearly Rs 50 lakh. Over Rs one crore has been spent on both centres together. Despite such huge investment, the centres are now in a neglected state. The electricity tariff has been fixed at Rs seven per unit, and users were provided the facility to pay and charge vehicles through the ‘EV Mitra’ app.

At the Horapete station, a component of the machine has been damaged and has not been repaired for several days. At Kyathsandra, the machines are not functioning due to power supply issues. The charging stations were established by the BESCOM office in Bengaluru and later handed over to a private company. Staff from the company are expected to visit and carry out repair works.

The Horapete centre is now being used by the public as a parking space. Residents of the area and people visiting the City for various purposes park their bikes and cars there and leave. No security guards have been appointed at the centres, leaving the machines without protection.

Drivers of electric vehicles are reaching the charging stations only to return disappointed. Since not even one charging point is working at either location, people are questioning the very purpose of setting up the centres.

“The city has become ‘Smart City’ only in name. What is the use if even basic facilities cannot be provided? The existing centres should at least be maintained properly,” demanded car owner Shivakumar.

Sticker scribbling

17k electric vehicles in district The use of electric vehicles in the district is increasing day by day. At present there are 17102 EVs including bikes autos and cars. According to the Tumakuru Regional Transport Office 15810 electric bikes and 1017 electric cars have been registered. Following the rise in petrol and diesel prices more people are showing interest in purchasing electric vehicles. However the charging centres that were started to help commuters during emergencies have virtually become useless.

Engineer unaware of issue BESCOM Superintendent Engineer Narasimhamurthy is reportedly unaware of the condition of the charging stations operated by BESCOM. He did not have even basic details regarding why the machines are not working what the exact problems are or what steps has been taken to resolve them. “I will gather information about this. An inspection will be conducted to find out what has happened at a centre meant for public service” Narasimh Murthy said.