Mescom angers consumers with unscheduled power cuts in Mangaluru, Udupi, Shivamogga

Mescom Managing Director D. Padmavathi attributed the unscheduled power cuts to reduced power production from thermal power plants.

Customers of Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Mescom) have been facing inconvenience for the last fortnight following unscheduled power cuts varying from one hour to three hours.

“Erratic power cuts without prior intimation is upsetting. Our daily routine has been disrupted as we are in the dark about when supply will be restored,” said Balakrishna Shetty, a resident of Mannagudda in Mangaluru.

It appears that only domestic consumers are impacted.

Gaurav Hegde from Kanara Small Industries’ Association told The Hindu, “Industries in Dakshina Kannada district are not facing a problem of power cuts.”

Democratic Youth Federation of India Dakshina Kannada district president B.K. Imtiyaz and secretary Santosh Bajal condemned the unscheduled power cuts by Mescom. “This amounts to giving from one hand and taking away from the other,” Mr Imtiyaz said referring to the Gruha Jyothi, a State Government scheme to offer free power to eligible residents of Karnataka.

Claiming that Mescom officials do not explain the necessity of power cuts, they demanded a public notification explaining the reasons. Farmers, traders and the general public were affected by the unannounced power cuts.