Bengaluru: The Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) has submitted a memorandum to Bescom, urging the electricity supply company to establish a dedicated Operations and Maintenance (O&M) wing in every industrial area.
KASSIA representatives criticised Bescom for providing inadequate service to industries, despite their status as major power consumers in the state.
“Industries are paying higher rates to Bescom, yet the service and maintenance in nearly all industrial estates are subpar due to a shortage of maintenance staff and materials. Frequent power failures, caused by poor maintenance, are leading to significant losses for many industries. We request the establishment of a separate maintenance and development wing in all industrial areas,” the memorandum stated.
The memorandum also highlighted several issues, including a lack of awareness among officials about the increase in LT limits from 67 HP to 201 HP, delays in granting permission for solar rooftops, unclear implementation of Time of Day (ToD) tariffs, and varying development charges for different areas.
In addition, the memorandum noted that many Bescom services are not available online, causing difficulties for industrialists.
“KASSIA has received numerous complaints about software issues with Bescom services, including problems with billing, posting of received amounts and delays in processing. Industries are also dissatisfied with the lack of response from O&M staff to complaints and delays in transformer repairs. This situation requires urgent attention,” the memorandum concluded.
Published 29 August 2024, 21:31 IST