Kochi can’t sleep this summer

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Acute power crisis has crippled Ernakulam district, as millions are sweating it out at their homes and thousands of companies are struggling to keep their machines on.

Irregular power cuts have become a regular feature in the district, making life miserable for the public.

Most of the places in the district go without power throughout the day, owing to the electrical link breakage and the maintenance works.

People are also complaining that Kerala State Electricity Board is load shedding for one hour, instead of 30 minutes as directed by the state government.

“We have been experience double load shedding every day here,” said K.V. Radhakrishnan near Thiruvamkulam, which is under the Chottanikkara sub division.

“If they regulate the electric supply from 7 to 7.30 pm, there will be another load shedding from 9 to 9.30 pm. It is being happening every day, though there is no official directive from the government,” he said.

While Kochi city almost escapes from the power cuts because of the use of invertors and generators, the rural areas are not so fortunate to afford expensive alternatives.

Places including Perumbavoor, Thripunithura, Mattanc-hery, Vypeen and Aluva have been witnessing such crisis over a month now.

“Power regulations in the daytime are manageable, but with summer so strong, it is impossible to sleep without fan or AC in the night.

The KSEB officials should make sure they fix the disruptions quickly, especially when it is night,” said Mohammed Salam, an Aluva resident.in the night.

The KSEB officials should make sure they fix the disruptions quickly, especially when it is night,” said Mohammed Salam, an Aluva resident.

KSEB’s rain theory won’t hold water

The Kerala State Electricity Board officials are citing summer rain and maintenance works as the reasons for power disruptions in the city.

The chiefs say the heavy rains in the region are uprooting several electric posts, which causes power disruption for hours.

V. Kesavadas, the deputy chief engineer of KSEB, said that the pre-monsoon maintenance works are also going on, forcing the board to regulate power at several places.

“Natural disasters are beyond our control. The heavy summer rain has been making extensive damages here. The restoration works may not be possible overnight. So the people have to stop taking things emotionally and should cooperate with us.”

The officials will also have to make sure the trees are trimmed and posts are fixed before the monsoon, Kesavadas said. “If we do not do it now, it will be more difficult after June,” he said.

However, the public argue that if this is the state during the summer rain it is hard to imagine how it would be after June. “Our electric lines cannot even withstand the average summer rain.

It would be heavier during monsoon. It shows how incompetent the board is,” said R. Vijayarakhavan of Vyttila.

Angry mob smash eb office

With the power crisis gripping the city and rural areas, the public and the officials of Kerala State Electricity Board are at loggerheads.

There are daily reports of skirmishes between the public and the officials in the district. Latest episode was at Mattancherry on Tuesd-ay, when a mob attacked a KSEB officer.

The KSEB officials filed a complaint before the police seeking justice and also protection from further attacks.

The KSEB officials said they are also receiving abusive phone calls from the public every day, while the public argue that officials never attend phones.

However, KSEB’s V. Kesavadas said that no phone calls by the public are ignored. “When power disrupts at a particular place, the respective office gets hundreds of telephone calls.

So the phone will always be engaged. Also, during nights, all the officials are forced to go to the field and fix the problem. How will they pick the call then?” he explained.