- By Nidhi Giri
- Thu, 20 Mar 2025 09:13 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bengaluru Power Cut: Bellandur and Whitefield residents in the garden city faced an unprecedented power cut lasting over 36 hours recently. The affected residents in Bengaluru expressed their frustration over the prolonged electricity disruption and the lack of timely updates from Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) on various social media platforms, including Reddit and Twitter. As per residents despite multiple complaints and social media appeals, there was no clear timeline for restoration. An update on the BESCOM app cited a feeder issue at the Devarabeesanahalli RMZ substation but failed to provide an estimated time of repair.
A resident shared their ordeal on Reddit, explaining how they had lodged complaints through BESCOM's official app, raised concerns on social media, and encouraged neighbors to do the same. Despite these efforts, BESCOM has not provided a concrete solution. The only update they received from their apartment association was that an underground cable fault had occurred, and BESCOM lacked the necessary machinery to fix it immediately. The expected restoration time has now been pushed to the following evening, meaning residents may have to endure over two days without power.
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"This is unacceptable for a city like Bengaluru. Honest taxpayers are being forced to live without basic amenities like electricity and water on a regular basis," wrote a resident.
Adding to the frustration, some residents suspect that the fault may have been caused by other civic agencies digging in the area. One user on Reddit, 'ihatepanipuri', wrote that BBMP workers, while digging for a stormwater drain, broke a sewage pipe. Instead of fixing the damage, the contractor simply covered it with a stone slab. It was only after vigilant residents raised a ruckus and called BBMP engineers, the local MLA, and BWSSB that the repair work was properly completed.
Others highlighted the lack of accountability from government agencies, with BESCOM, BBMP, and BWSSB often failing to deliver essential services efficiently.
Did BESCOM Respond?
BESCOM's customer service remains inaccessible for many, with reports of area Junior Engineers (JE) not answering calls. The outage has once again sparked debates about Bengaluru's crumbling infrastructure, with residents calling for better governance and privatization of essential services to ensure accountability and efficiency.