They explained that they had received a letter from Bescom, seeking approval of industrial associations to a proposal for reducing consumption of power voluntarily by up to 30%.
Industrial units in Peenya, Jigani, and Doddaballapur have been receiving intermittent power supply in the recent past, and have complained that a letter that they received from Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) could be read as a threat.
On Thursday, the industrial units took their complaint to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), which also serves as an arbitration mechanism. They explained that they had received a letter from Bescom, seeking the approval of industrial associations to a proposal for reducing consumption of power voluntarily by up to 30% so that the domestic sector could be compensated with the nearly 300MW thus saved. It was a time of examinations, and disruption in power supply to homes might affect the performance of students. The industries responded that such a cut would cause losses.
On March 17, Bescom had called a ‘joint task force’ meeting, so that members from the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) and Bangalore Chamber of Industries and Commerce (BCIC) could deliberate on the power shortage.
Three options were suggested at that meeting - voluntary reduction of consumption of power by up to 30%, between 6 pm and 10 pm, which could result in saving about 300 MW of power.
This could be directed to the domestic sector. The second option involved a voluntary reduction by industrial units of power consumption in the period March 21 to April 1. If both those options were unacceptable, Bescom suggested that it impose a blanket shutdown of industrial feeders from 6 pm to 10 pm.
The industrial units allege that Bescom had assumed that the proposal had met their approval, and gone ahead to cut power supply to industrial zones. Legal counsels for FKCCI and KASSIA have brought the matter to the KERC, complaining that Bescom had proceeded to shut off supply even though the industries had not approved the proposal.
Sridhar Prabhu, legal counsel for FKCCI, said, “The letter issued by Bescom is a threat. Also, medium and small scale industries are targeted. These generally do not consume much power in the evening hours. The Bescom has also left out 60 heavy industries, which consume huge amounts of power between 6 pm and 10 pm.”
Prakash Raikar, vice president, KASSIA, said, “Peenya, Jigani and Doddaballapur have been hit by disruption in power supply. We are afraid that the Bescom has taken action even though we did not approve the earlier suggestions. That is why we now seek the help of the KERC.”
Legal counsels on both sides of the divide — the industries and the supply company —failed to produce evidence to show that the power cuts were indeed part of a deliberate and planned exercise.
The KERC sought to know from Bescom whether the company had shut down power supply deliberately and forced industrial units to accept spells of no power.
“I have mailed the managing director of Bescom, seeking to understand why industries alone were targeted, and why commercial houses or the hospitality sector, also major consumers of power, were not included in the shutdown. I have not received any response,” said MG Prabhakar, member, FKCCI and chairman, Energy Committee. The KERC has summoned both parties for the next hearing on June 19.
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