City of Power cuts

“There will be no power from 9 AM to 4 PM in the following areas -”, a small column on the second page in the newspaper announced innocuously. A column that my father read only after the power did not come back in an hour. My mother fretted over the fact that had she seen the news item, she could have filled all the water bottles with sufficient drinking water.
As the day goes by, the mood is pronouncedly morose and they cast anxious looks at the clock. At four in the evening, there is still no power; it comes at five and plays hide and seek until seven pm. In effect, there has been a power outage for the entire day in many parts of the city. This was yesterday. Karnataka Electricity Board had scheduled power shut downs for the maintenance work, upgrading work etc in most parts of East and North Bangalore.

Karnataka was once a model state, not only to our country, but also for all English colonies. Bangalore was the first city in India to get Electricity. We have come a long way from there. Now power outages seem to be a regular affair, especially in summer since we generate electricity through hydro projects. This summer however, the government bought extra power from Jindal and promised that there will not be any power cuts in the city/state. However, it is more a quick fix solution. The city’s growth is exponential and so is its power demands. We cannot manage with hydro electricity alone. We should expand or innovate. A few thoughts on how we manage our power crisis.

IT Think Tank:

This is a technology city of the country. IT sector have huge business knowledge of power generation and transportation from working for power clients across the globe. If the IT sector and the present government collaborate, they can produce a long-term solutions.

Power Generation Plant for Bangalore:

We should have a separate power generation plant for the city. Bangalore's growth in the last few decades has been tremendous. Its power needs have also increased hugely. We should stop usurping more than our share of the state's power. WHy not have a separate plant in Bangalore for Bangalore.

Underground Electric Cables:

Every monsoon, there is a power cut when it rains heavily. The KEB fears that the overhead transformers or cables might break and hence better live in the dark and be safe. Even the new residential layouts that abound in the Airport vicinity use the older technology. Why dont we look towards underground network rather than overhead cables. We pay higher taxes, cess, compared to the rest of the metros; use this for developmental benefits for the city.

I hope the new government, which has special plans for the city executes its promises. I hope our city becomes a model for the country now just like in past. And I hope for our sake, that the party holds the office for its full term and is not brought down in a number game by its rivals.