If there is one thing that comes with waterlogging — that is now guaranteed for Bengalureans when it rains — it is power cuts. Even as the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) maintains that its infrastructure is strong to weather the rains, citizens experience power disruption regularly in the rainy season.
On October 9, as the city received a downpour in the evening, the Bescom helpline saw an uptick of around 5,000 calls with electricity-related complaints.
A senior Bescom official said that their helpline received a total of 17,449 complaints on October 9, which, when compared to its everyday numbers, was up by around 5,000 calls. “We cannot say all these calls were about power cuts, but most of them were. However, the power cuts on October 9 were not just due to rain. We also had planned quarterly maintenance at a few places, which might have caused small outages.”
Priyanka M., an engineer residing in HSR Layout, said, “Power was out in my house by the time I returned from office on October 9 night. Supply was restored around 8 a.m. on October 10. We kept calling the Bescom office to complain, but it proved futile.”
By 12 p,m. on October 10, Bescom officials claimed that all the complaints had been resolved, and power was restored throughout the city.
In BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Sarjapur, Marathahalli, Vijayanagar, Yelahanka and Jayanagar, power disruptions began in the night and extended well into the next morning. Along with power cuts, many localities also faced severe power fluctuations or had to be content with single-phase power supply for several hours.
Shruthi G., a resident of Jakkur, said, “When the power supply is cut, you can raise a complaint. In case of power fluctuations, you cannot do anything, but it is more inconvenient than power cuts. For people who work from home, power fluctuation is a major disturbance.”
Several citizens also took to social media to report power outages as well as other problems with the electricity infrastructure during night hours.
Arun Jain tweeted on X: “Do not think Diwali has come earlier, this is blast from a Bescom pole. We have complained several times regarding a transformer on the road at PR lane, SP Road; looks like Bescom is waiting for a tragedy to happen”. The tweet was accompanied by a video of a transformer emitting sparks.
A Bescom official said that there were no major damages to the infrastructure, except for the breakage of two poles of a transformer as a tree fell on the line in Hebbal division. “As there were no strong winds, there has not been much damage to any transformer or poles,” he said.
