Several residents in Bengaluru will be facing power cuts for three days on May 26, 27 and 28 due to high consumption of electricity for the construction of the Metro Rail. The power cuts will take place between 10 am and 6 pm in areas like Marathahalli, Whitefield, Challaghatta and Koramangala. Areas like Basavanagar, HAL, Annasandra Palya and Kaggadasapura Main Road will also be affected.
Speaking to TNM, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) officials said that it was load shedding as the power that could be distributed was minimal.
Other areas like St Mark’s Road, Brigade Road, Ashoknagar, Adugodi, Hosur Main Road, Tavarekere, Old Madiwala and Silk Board may also face power cuts. Bescom officials also mentioned Malleshpalya, Manjunathanagar, Abdul Kalam Layout, parts of Domlur, Bagamane Tech Park, GM Palya, and Kadubeesanahalli could witness power cuts.
Officials also said that the power cut was necessary as it was a safety issue for metro construction workers, as the overhead electric lines may lead to mishaps, if the power is not cut off.
Last month, Twitter was flooded with complaints directed at the BESCOM regarding power outages across the city. The complainants alleged that power supply was interrupted at untimely hours for long periods of time, sometimes even lasting up to four hours.
Some officials attributed line constraints, heavy winds, breaking of poles, maintenance works or falling of trees, as some of the reasons for these power outages. This spell of power cuts came just two months after then Energy Minister DK Shivakumar claimed that there would be no power shortage this summer. P Rajendra Cholan, Managing Director of BESCOM too had claimed that the city has surplus power.
Many areas like Indira Nagar, BTM and Koramangala were also facing unscheduled power cuts post midnight, which was causing great inconvenience for local residents.