If the summer heat was about soaring peak electricity loads and power cuts, the recent rains have been about tree falls, inundation and more power cuts for the city. Grappling with rain-induced damages, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has come under fire from citizens for inconsistent supply of power.
Many have taken to social media to complain about the frequent power cuts, some of them doing it humorously. One said, “As soon as it starts raining here, power will be like this,” and put up a picture of the song ‘ Lo chali main’ from the ’90s blockbuster ‘ Hum Aapke Hain Kaun .’
Another resident said, “These days Bescom has become the worst in providing electricity. It’s very hard to have power for maximum 4 hours a day. If we contact Bescom, they act irresponsible and give some irrelevant reasons.”
Yet another frustrated citizen said, “The only thing Bengaluru does not need is Bescom. There is a section of citizens who work for the growth of the economy, and there is Bescom which brings down the economic growth by not providing basic uninterrupted power supply to citizens.”
Friday’s downpour resulted in long hours of power cuts, lasting the whole night in some parts of the city. However, G. Ashok Kumar, Director (Technical), Bescom said Friday’s rain had caused disruptions primarily in north Bengaluru, in areas such as Sahakarnagar and Sanjaynagar, due to tree fall.
“Power interruptions in other places may have been because of localised problems. The bigger problem is the wind. We have now outsourced on the field work for Bengaluru city as a temporary measure for the monsoon to ensure that complaints are attended to as early as possible,” he added.
Bescom Managing Director C. Shikha said damages caused by tree falls are hard to predict. “We have identified 7,000 locations for pruning trees, which we have been carrying out. Our role is limited to this. Tree cutting will have to be taken up after consultation with the Forest Department. However, trees that look healthy are also falling for various reasons. If one electricity pole is affected, the series gets affected, and restoration of each pole takes around four hours,” she explained.
As a long-term solution, the power utility has embarked on a three-year project to take cables underground, Ms. Shikha said.
Tenders have already been called. In the first phase, Indiranagar, HSR Layout, Peenya, Rajajinagar and Malleswaram divisions will be covered, she said, adding that these are also among the areas that are most affected during rains.
