As it rained misery in various parts of the city, with roads getting waterlogged and drain water overflowing into homes on Thursday evening, Bengalureans have been left peeved with power cuts.
While the power disruptions have become common for even the slightest rain in the city, they continued well into Friday, forcing many to take to social media and complain, tagging the Bescom. Many residents also complained about how unhelpful the helpline was.
“On Thursday, as soon as it started raining around 7.30 p.m., the power supply was cut. It was not restored till 10 p.m. I made repeated calls to 1912 to register my complaints. Despite multiple attempts, I received no response,” said Shravan K., a resident of Yelahanka.
He said every time he called the emergency number, a voice message stated that the line was busy. “The power supply was disrupted again a few minutes after midnight and was restored only on Friday morning,” he said.
Subhadra Shankar, a resident of Jalahalli, also complained about the poor response from the emergency call centre. She said that she found another grievance number – 1902 – for the State Government helpline mentioned on the Bescom website.
“But when I called, the automated voice message said the call centre works only between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Whom are the citizens supposed to turn to when the call centres don’t take calls?” she asked.
With many citizens still working from home, the frequent power disruptions are affecting their work. However, citizens who have gone back to work are also struggling. Chandini K., a resident of Malleshpalya, said due to frequent power cuts on Friday, she was unable to even charge her phone before heading to work.
Annoyed by the power cuts, Shama A. Shaikh, a resident of Hebbal, complained that she was spending nights sleeplessly. “It is already very hot and humid and we cannot even use the fan,” she said.
Responding to the complaints, P. Rajendra Cholan, managing director, Bescom, admitted that the power utility had cut off power supply to some areas that received heavy rains as a precautionary measure. “We coordinated with the BBMP and cut off power supply in some areas. However, the power supply was restored soon after the rains subsided,” he claimed.
