City is running on generators

The Bangalore city is running on generators and both domestic and industrial consumers are bearing the brunt. Five to six hours of intermittent power cuts every day have crippled the industry. Domestic consumers too are largely dependent on gensets and inverters. The situation is no better in the silk and jewellery hub of Chickpet. Same in other commercial hubs like Brigade Road and Commercial street where smoke levels are always high due to constant use of gensets.






Both Bescom and KPTCL have come out with standard excuses such as demand is more, state facing shortage, technical snags in Raichur power plant. The industry says this is one of the worst situations in the past two decades.All process industries have come to a halt as production costs have increased by 60% and the output has come down by 10%. The association members have decided to shut the operations of the industrial hub for one day if the situation doesn't improve.

According to Peenya industrial Association members, they have faced a loss of Rs 10 crore to 12 crore in the last one week due to power cuts.According to traders, Chickpet generates a turnover of Rs 300 crore every day but due to long power cuts, almost every shop is facing about 20% loss.

Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) president J Crasta said: "One has to know why the power generation has reduced. It is because the turbines are not working due to the low-quality coal being purchased by the government. It's time the government did something about inefficient management. It must go in for smart meters."

Five to six hours of intermittent power cuts every day have crippled the industry. The domestic and industrial consumers are bearing the brunt due to power cuts. Both Bescom and KPTCL have come out with standard excuses. According to source, almost every shop is facing about 20% loss and smoke levels in commercial hubs increased due to constant use of gensets.The association members have decided to shut the operations of the industrial hub for one day if the situation doesn't improve.

Bangalore East had to go without power on Sunday

The weekend was hit by repeated power cuts as heavy rain saw trees falling and snapping power lines.Major repair work at HAL main station had many parts of East Bangalore, mainly Indiranagar, BEML and surrounding areas, going without power for nearly 10 hours.

Many areas of Kothnur and Doddaguppi had no power since Saturday evening as heavy rain saw trees falling and snapping power lines. Overnight repair work ensured that these areas got back power on Sunday. But water supply was restored in the city.Most parts of the city experienced a dry day on Saturday. But by Sunday afternoon, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) resumed water supply across the city.

Continuous power cuts make summer hotter and may affect water supply in city

In several areas of Bangalore city, there was a 3-4 hour power cut and in others, it lasted nearly six hours, leaving residents annoyed.According to one BESCOM official, there is a shortage of about 500 MW as there is a generation problem in all the power stations in the state. While some technical snags at RTPS are causing some paucity, there are other problems at BTPS and other hydel power stations. Altogether, there is a huge shortage, which the Bescom is managing by measures like power cuts across several areas, he said.





Dry weather will prevail across the state for the next few days. Temperature is above normal, says state meteorological incharge director B Puttana.BWSSB sources said at least 30 out of 55 pumping stations that lift water from the city’s low-level reservoirs (LLRs), are now hit by intermittent power supply. This will affect water supply to most eastern and northern parts of the city.

“There is no scheduled power cut and power comes and goes all the time, disrupting our routine. We are having a minimum four-hour cut which sometimes goes on to six hours. The worrying part is that whenever we call up the authorities, they don’t even bother to pick up the call and when they do, they speak very rudely, telling us that they can’t help,’’ Said Arun Lobo, a resident of KR Layout in JP Nagar 6th Phase.

Continuous power cuts make summer hotter and water supply may affect in most eastern and northern parts of the city. “It is the lower and middle classes which voted the BJP to power, but they are the ones who can’t afford UPS and other devices for their children to study during exams. The least the government could do is provide them uninterrupted power during the evenings so their children can study,’’ says N Mukund from Jayanagar 5th Block.

• Source: Times of India