Power cuts haunt city; Officials in the dark

BANGALORE: Despite tall claims by Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) of uninterrupted power barring for maintenance, Bangalore has been experiencing power cuts ranging from 45 minutes to one hour.Recently, Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje had claimed that there will be no power cuts as the reservoirs have “sufficient” water required for generation.What is surprising is that figures from the State Load Dispatch Centre show that BESCOM areas are showing a reduction in demand. SLDC figures for May 8 show that BESCOM was drawing 2,989 MW of the scheduled 3,080 MW which means there was an excess of 90 MW available for BESCOM. This was confirmed by BESCOM officials who claimed a reduction of upto 50 MW in the peak hour demand in the past few days.“We have been having power cuts in our area for four days now. Power is disconnected everyday around 12 noon and comes back around 1 pm. The helpline refuses to give any information and just registers a complaint,” said Ravi, a resident of Domlur. Another area which seems to be facing issues is Banshankari. “Power goes off every night. If they have sufficient power, why cut power?” questioned Anagha, resident.However officials deny that there are major repairs being carried out. “Some areas may have power cuts due to rain. No major complaints have been received. People must note their complaint numbers to ensure their complaints are attended to,” said a senior BESCOM official.BESCOM accounts for 50 pc of the total power generated in the state and has been appealing to consumers to reduce peak hour consumption. It hopes to save around 300 MW a day with a new campaign, promising “unlimited” power if consumers reduce peak hour consumption. BESCOM claims the campaign has resulted in a 50 MW drop in peak hour demand.