Power outage leaves Bellary high and dry

 The district has been ravaged by irregular power supply for the past three months. The city, in particular, which has many garment factories, including jeans units, steel and other industries, has been the major casualty.

The worst affected are workers of garment and small scale industries who are rendered jobless. In the absence of power supply, many of these industries, which export garments, have stopped working, depriving jobs to 40,000-odd workers.
“The power supply and outage should be scheduled and people should be informed beforehand,” Mahatma Gandhi Workers Association’s Zakir told Deccan Herald.

“Irregular power supply has made working conditions hostile,” he added.
“Of the 24 days, power is hardly supplied for four to five hours. Repeated requests to the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd, the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company and the Karnataka Energy minister has failed to yield any result,” said Mallikarjun of Pollux, a jeans manufacturer.

The functioning of the factory is entirely dependent on power and has been adversely affected by the outage, he added. Life has been tough for Suresh, who runs a electric equipment repair shop in the city.

“We are entirely dependent on electricity for work. If there is no power, then there is no work,” he said.

“Compared with other districts, Bellary is the worst affected. The government should take steps to tackle the crisis and should inform consumers about power cuts in advance. This will help in adjusting the working hours,” said V Jayaram, president of Public Welfare Forum.

Farmers battered

Farmers who are reeling under drought now have to face power outages. Crops in hundreds of acres in Hoovina Hadagali, Bellary and Siruguppa taluks, which are supplied water through lift irrigation, are wilting due to lack of water. Irregular power supply has also affected farmers who depend on pump sets, said Sannamareppa, a farmer from Sirigeri.