44 new electricity substations to come up in Mysuru; to solve erratic supply

Mysuru: Energy Minister K.J. George has issued a stern warning to the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) staff, directing them to treat farmers and the public with respect and professionalism.

“Any rude behaviour will result in disciplinary action,” he cautioned during a district-level review meeting held yesterday at the Abdul Nazeer Sab Hall in the Zilla Panchayat premises.

The warning came after several MLAs, including D. Ravishankar, Tanveer Sait and K. Harishgowda, raised complaints about CESC linemen behaving rudely with citizens, particularly farmers. Minister George instructed CESC Managing Director K.M. Munigopal Raju to issue warnings to errant staff and take action if misconduct continues.

Addressing irregularities in power supply, MLA Tanveer Sait pointed out that disruptions in electricity from Megalapura were affecting the drinking water supply. He questioned the delay despite the collection of funds by KPTCL. The Hongalli-Megalapura project is being expanded from 60 MLD to 160 MLD, but the absence of a dedicated power line threatens to undermine its success.

MLA K. Harishgowda flagged safety concerns regarding underground (UG) cable installation, stating that open trenches were causing accidents. Minister George responded that Rs. 30 crore has been earmarked to close trenches and urged officials to act immediately.

Meanwhile, MLA G.T. Devegowda demanded the removal of rusting iron poles abandoned on roadsides. Calling for more field visits and fewer office hours, George told officials to give clear timelines instead of vague responses.

Infrastructure expansion

The Minister announced that Karnataka will establish 100 new electricity substations, with 44 to come up in Mysuru district within two years. He admitted there was no shortage of electricity, but a lack of infrastructure was causing supply issues.

George also dispelled rumours that linking Aadhaar to RR numbers of farm pump sets was a prelude to discontinuing free electricity. “Free power up to 10 HP will continue. Aadhaar link is only for verification,” he clarified.

The Minister claimed a 99% success rate for ‘Gruha Jyothi’ Scheme in Mysuru and noted that Rs. 9,000 crore is being provided annually to ESComs under this initiative. Broken transformers, he said, would be repaired within 24 hours in urban areas and 48 hours in rural zones.

Following the Chief Minister’s visit to tribal hamlets, the Government has initiated electricity supply to over 600 tribal hamlets.

MLAs Srivatsa & Tanveer Sait urged CESC to improve power reliability, particularly to drinking water pump houses. George assured that the electricity supply issues across Mysuru city and district will be resolved and directed CESC officials to meet public representatives regularly and act on their suggestions.

The meeting was attended by MLCs K. Vivekananda, Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Additional Chief Secretary of Energy Department Gaurav Gupta, KPCL MD Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy, Zilla Panchayat CEO Yukesh Kumar, CESC MD K.M. Munigopal Raju, Guarantee Implementation Committee Vice-Chairperson Dr. B. Pushpa Amarnath and others.