Apart from suffering clogged drains, submerged roads, and open manholes, the city has to bear with power shutdowns, soon after it starts raining. But there is no solution in the near future. The experts explained that power outages occur due to cracked ceramic insulators on top of electric poles and power transformers. During summer, these insulators crack and when it rains water seeps in through the cracks tripping the network.
The worst part is that a lineman has to inspect over 200 to 300 insulators before rectifying the problem. To address the issue, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company plans to introduce polymer insulators. The glitch is that even though Bescom has twice floated tenders, it has not been able to find a single supplier qualified enough to meet the experience clause. "These insulators are more stable and weigh less than ceramic ones. We floated the tender twice, but since there are no experienced suppliers, we have not been able to go ahead with the project," a Bescom official said.
The technology is cost effective, but it is yet to be implemented in any part of the country. That is the reason there have not been any suppliers who meet the experience clause. "With these insulators, power outages during rainy season and line failures can be effectively addressed. There are not many states which have implemented the new device," he added. While the technology upgradation is taking its time, many in the city are fuming over the power shutdowns. "We have been facing several power cuts. The situation has become worse after the rains started since last Saturday. We are completely crippled by these outages," said Santosh N., a resident of K Narayanpura. Several areas in the city, like Kormangala, R.T .Nagar, Indiranagar, K.R. Puram, Whitefield, have been facing power issues in the last few days due to rains.