Bhatkal:  Bhatkal residents are now demanding a permanent solution to power issues they face during very monsoon season.

Bhatkal which is far away from the district headquarters of Uttara Kannada district is ignored by HESCOM, claim residents.

To supply power to the taluk, 110 kV power cable was laid through Kumta, Honnavar and Murdeshwar to Bhatkal. If heavy wind and rain cause any disruption in Kumta or Honnavar, Bhatkal taluk won’t get power. To put an end to such problems, local people and activists are demanding to set up a station or lay power cable from Udupi district.

Bhatkal taluk consumes 20 MW power, which is highest in the district. In coming years, the power requirement will increase here. It is projected that by 2022, more than 24 MW electricity power is required. But the present power, that is being supplied from Kumta, will not be sufficient. Therefore, a separate 110 kV station is proposed in Bhatkal and the works are yet to begin.

Misbah Ul Haq, a social activist from Bhatkal, said Bhatkal has been neglected by HESCOM. Despite many requests, power cut problem during festivals and summer have not been addressed.

Disruption in power supply is common here during monsoon. There was no power in the town on the previous day of Eid-ul-Fitr and it resumed only around 11.30 am on the day of Eid. Following which people staged a flash protest against the HESCOM, demanding it to find a solution for the problem.

Like Bhatkal, Byndoor region in Udupi district is also the last taluk under the Mangaluru Electricity Supply Company. Byndoor is also facing similar problems. Hence, activists have been demanding the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited to lay a separate line from Byndoor, which, according to them, will address the power problem of both the taluks.

An officer of HESCOM said a proposal was prepared to set up 110 kV station in Bhatkal and an application for forest clearance was submitted in 2010. As the Forest Department has recently gave its nod, the work to set up a new station on Sagar Road near the town will commence soon. To provide an alternative power source in Bhatkal taluk, a survey was taken up recently to lay a separate power line from Byndoor to Bhatkal. Once the report is prepared, the department will submit it to higher officials and apply for forest clearance to lay power cables. Once the new line is laid, power problems of both Bhatkal and Byndoor will be solved, he added.