Powerless about power!

First it was the weather, then traffic, and now Bangaloreans cannot stop talking about load shedding. Power scarcity has taken the shine off the new saffron government and ensured that the BJP government will not have the luxury of enjoying a honeymoon.

According to officials, the unscheduled power cuts are mainly due to scarcity of water at Linganamakki, Sharavathi dam at Shimoga and low rainfall in catchment areas.

Aware about the multiple consequences of power shortage, the government is trying its best to solve the problem. High-level meetings are being held daily to thrash out a solution, and efforts are being made to even borrow power from neighboring states,

A Bescom official pointed out the disparity in cost of power. While it costs Rs 12/- per unit when you buy power from independent power products, whereas we are getting it around Rs 3 per unit. Those who have UPS will suffer a wastage of 25% and so there is no alternative than to pray for the rain gods to smile on us, the official said.

Harried by a flurry of calls from senior citizens about power outages, Bescom AEE Manjunath said presently there was a daily power cut of 4-5 hours which could go up to 5-7 hours. Power minister KS Eshwarappa will be shortly making an announcement of scheduled power cuts, he said.