BENGALURU: Students, already stressed by examinations looming up, are now having to put up with frequent and unscheduled power cuts by Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM). 

While students and parents don’t mind power shutdowns in the afternoons, it is the dark mornings and evenings that are adversely affecting study plans in the run-up to exams, scheduled to begin as early as mid-February this year, with general elections slated for April.

As per BESCOM data, its helplines are buzzing with a whopping daily average of 3,000 calls, complaining or enquiring about power cuts. In the past 15 days, BESCOM helplines have received 42,287 calls (till Monday), complaining about power cuts in a number of areas.

BESCOM officials cite various reasons for the power cuts, like overload on transformers or technical reasons like repair work or maintenance; but whether scheduled or unscheduled, it is students’ study schedules which are going askew. Youngsters have been complaining that power shutdowns happen every day at a scheduled time and a fixed duration, and that in many residential areas, it is mornings or evenings, or both. 

“My second-year PU exams are coming up in March, with hardly a month to revise and complete the final preparations. Every night, power cuts are adding to my tension,” said a student from Bengaluru South.

“IF power cuts are for maintenance, the authorities should give public notice in advance, so that we are prepared. But the way things are going shows these are unofficial power cuts,” said another resident from Jayanagar.

“Load-shedding is done in industrial areas, but why in residential areas? The authorities should realise that exams are scheduled in the coming months,” said Jayanth C, parent of an ICSE student.
BESCOM helpline data indicates that most complaints are from Bengaluru South, with over 18,000 complaints in the past 15 days. 

C Shikha, Managing Director, BESCOM, told TNIE: “This is not load-shedding or power cuts. There are too many jobs taken up by BBMP, BMRCL and KPTCL across the city and we need to complete the Integrated Power Development Scheme by March. To avoid inconvenience, I have asked officers to give public notifications in advance.”