JOIN USHeavy rain in the last few days accompanied by strong wind brought down huge trees and snapped electrical lines, causing a blackout for the last one week in Mudigere, Kalasa and other surrounding areas.
Owing to the rain fury, electricity poles and transformers have collapsed in many areas, causing disruption in power supply.
Everyday life of people, especially those in rural areas, has been largely affected. Electrical and electronic devices running on power have fallen silent.
Many people have lost communication with their distant friends and relatives, being unable to carry out telephonic conversations, as the power charge in their mobile phones has been drained out completely.
Power inverters too have no charge left in them. Youngsters who are active in social media are perplexed. Some have been thronging commercial outlets equipped with generator facility to charge their mobile phones.
Homemakers have been facing huge inconvenience as they could not use mixers and wet grinders. Some of them have taken to the old grinding stones to prepare batter or to grind masala.
Food stored in refrigerators have spoiled. During nights, people have been using oil lamps and candles, for light.
There is a scarcity for drinking water in several households as electric pump-sets are not working. Some others are drawing water from wells.
People who have applied for various facilities have been struggling as no work is getting done in government offices such as banks, Gram Panchayats and Nada Kacheri in rural areas, due to disruption in power supply.
Cottage industries in villages have also been hit. Mills, coffee processing units, dry-cleaning shops and other small-scale industry have been hit hard.
The villagers have urged Mescom to deploy additional personnel to set right the electricity poles and transformers.
In Masige village in Sringeri, people have been encountering voltage fluctuation during the night. Even though there is a power supply, villagers in Sasimani, Kamale, Kenjigere, Benakanahalli, Hanagodu and Kalmettu in Menase Gram Panchayat limits, could not use home appliances, fearing short-circuit. The problem has intensified during this rainy season.
Drinking water supply has also been affected in Sringeri Town Panchayat, due to power shortage.
The TP has to spend Rs 6000 per day for diesel generators for pumping the water. Mescom personnel have been striving day and night to restore the damaged electricity poles and transformers.