Udupi
Continuous and unannounced power cuts in several parts of Udupi district have triggered public outrage, with residents alleging that unofficial load shedding is being carried out without prior intimation.
Over the last four to five days, residents have been facing repeated electricity interruptions at different times of the day and night. Consumers say power supply is being disrupted during morning, afternoon, late-night and early morning hours, severely affecting normal life.
The frequent outages are impacting homes, offices, businesses and industries. Citizens say the situation has become especially difficult due to the ongoing summer season when dependence on cooling appliances such as fans and air conditioners is very high.
Residents pointed out that power cuts are normally expected during heavy rain, lightning or strong winds when transformers or electric lines get damaged. However, they alleged that the current disruptions are happening despite stable weather conditions.
Public anger is particularly visible in urban localities such as Manipal, Indrali, Kunjibettu, Eshwarnagar, Kukkikatte and Doddanagudde where electricity supply interruptions have reportedly increased in recent days.
Consumers questioned how rural areas would be coping if even major urban centres are facing frequent outages.
People said that though scheduled maintenance shutdowns by Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) are acceptable, the absence of prior information regarding emergency power cuts has caused major inconvenience.
Meanwhile, MESCOM officials clarified that some interruptions were caused after a transformer malfunction at Nittur station.
Executive Engineer K. Prasanna Kumar said the damaged transformer has now been repaired and electricity supply is being restored gradually.
He added that emergency maintenance works sometimes require temporary shutdowns and said the department tries to issue advance notices whenever possible.
Despite the clarification, residents have demanded better communication from MESCOM and uninterrupted electricity supply, particularly in city areas where commercial and institutional activities depend heavily on stable power infrastructure.
