Power cuts in Bengaluru as BESCOM starts underground cabling work

Summers not only bring a rise in mercury but power cuts too, as power consumption increases with air conditioners and fans working overtime. Many areas in Bengaluru are already facing frequent power cuts giving rise to the speculation that unscheduled load shedding has started already. However, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) officials say that there is no power shortage. Instead Karnataka is now a ‘power surplus’ state. But you will still face power cuts and that’s because of Bescom is laying underground cables.

WFH affected

With many people still working from home, frequent power cuts are affecting deadlines. “I stay in Bhuvaneshwari Nagar and there was no power on Monday from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm. When you have such long power cuts, having a UPS is of no use. The back-up battery drains out. My work has been severely affected due to power interruptions,” said Chetan Raju, who works in a private bank. Santosh M, who works in a tech company said, “Due to power cuts, we are unable to use the internet or our desktops for long hours and this is affecting our daily deadlines Uninterrupted power is essential for WFH.”

Clarifying the reason for the power cuts, MB Rajesh Gowda, Managing Director, Bescom said, “We are laying underground cables at many places. This is an18-month project that is going on in different parts of the city. Underground cables will ensure reliability and better quality of power supply. During monsoons, we used to face issues of trees falling on electric cables resulting in power cuts. This won’t happen with underground cables. We will inform residents in advance if power cuts are to happen. Power will be disrupted for about four to five hours. Once the cables are laid, they won’t experience these issues.”