A group of Bengaluru citizens, including some industrialists, staged a unique protest against constant power cuts in the city. They visited the office of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) in Kengeri a few days ago and performed an ‘aarti’ of officials, in a unique protest over constant power cuts in the region. A video showed the people performing aarti at the assistant executive engineer’s (AEE) office even as an official is seen not reacting to the protest and staring at his computer.
Speaking to a media outlet, the Kumbalgodu Industries Association (KIA) said the area has several industries, which have been forced to shell out additional amounts to ensure power backup due to the constant outages. Media reports added that the protesters pointed out that the frequent power cuts were because the area was still using the old distribution system and a proposal to convert the existing lines into underground cables had been stalled.
Following the protest, Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao, who has been trading barbs with the BJP over the last few days, took to Twitter and said, “Powerless double engine government.” The statement was a clear jibe at BJP president JP Nadda and other party leaders as well as the BJP-led government in Karnataka. Addressing a public meeting at Mahabubnagar earlier this month as part of state BJP chief and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar's ongoing padayatra, Nadda said people want a "double engine" BJP government in the state with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take Telangana forward.
Powerless Double Engine Govt https://t.co/qbRjh8uj7M
— KTR (@KTRTRS) May 16, 2022
KTR had also traded barbs with Union Home Minister Amit Shah who addressed a rally in Hyderabad on Saturday. KTR on May 15, Sunday, retaliated to Shah’s criticism of corruption under the TRS government by alleging in turn that there was rampant corruption under the BJP in states like Karnataka.
The News Minute had recently reported on Bengaluru's fragile infrastructure and how it is crumbling in the absence of elected corporators. The series looks at the legal obstacles that have to be overcome for conducting the BBMP elections, the political machinations underway to maintain the status quo and how the strength of the ward committees have eroded in the absence of corporators. Read the first part here.