Load-shedding: Bangalore bias could land govt in soup

The state government has spared Bangalore from load-shedding while making other towns and rural areas suffer the worst. Does the government’s act amount to discrimination against non-Bangaloreans? Electricity consumers, especially industrialists, say ‘Yes’.

“The issue is not just about Article 14 of the Constitution, which upholds the spirit of equality; even the rules on supply and distribution of electricity have clear-cut guidelines for resorting to such measures,” said MG Prabhakar, chairman of Energy Committee in Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries.

The government will have to seek permission from Karnataka Electricity Regulation Commission before introducing load-shedding or changing the tariff. The government’s unilateral announcement on load-shedding and  proposal to pay a higher tariff for sugar mills could run into rough weather. The discrimination in load-shedding between Bangaloreans and non-Bangaloreans could land the government in trouble if anyone moves the courts seeking equality. “The load-shedding announced by the state government puts industrialists in Bangalore at an advantage over their competitors in other districts,” said some.

However, farmers cannot seek justice on the same argument as they are being supplied power free of cost for irrigation pump sets through a system of cross-subsidy by imposing higher tariff on industries and other high-end consumers.