Karnataka Government in a knot over power shortage

With power cuts becoming inevitable in view of the huge shortfall in the availability of electricity across Karnataka, the Government authorities are facing a tough time trying to choose an ideal time for the power shutdown what with ICC World Cup 2007 as well as examinations to State and Central Board scheduled to be held during the same time.

The onset of summer has already seen the demand for power in the State shoot up to 130 million units against the power availability of 72 million units, forcing the Government to resort to power cuts. Several parts of Karnataka have started experiencing frequent unscheduled power-cuts including the 13-hour shutdown in Bangalore over the weekend.

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) authorities have held several rounds of talks with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to discuss the power situation in the State. Officials admit that the task of choosing an ideal time to shut down power will be a “tricky” one.

For, the industry will cry foul if there is a power cut is resorted to during day-time, affecting their productivity. If there is a power shutdown during evenings or mornings, the students, who are preparing for their exams, and their parents will curse the authorities.

Any move to turn off power around midnight is feared to trigger a violent reaction from the cricket-crazy fans, who will be glued to the television sets to watch the World Cup 2007. The telecast of World Cup matches, scheduled to commence from March 13, is expected to start around 7 pm and go on till 3 am. The World Cup is scheduled to conclude only on April 28.

Similiarly, Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) exams are scheduled to begin from March 1 and end on April 10. While SSLC examinations are scheduled to be held in the last week of March, the PUC examinations will conclude only on April 16. Millions of students are appearing for examinations in Karnataka during the period.

Power shutdown leads to unending telephone calls to the Control Room with angry residents hurling expletives at the KPTCL personnel. There have also been instances when angry cricket fans have gone on a rampage, damaging the KPTCL offices in the event of a power cut during a cricket match.

The power shortage in Karnataka is so severe this time that the authorities have been forced to resort to power cuts even in Bangalore, which has so far been insulated from power shutdowns. The demand for power in Bangalore alone has touched 22 million units against the 18 million units during 2004.