APMC bears brunt of power cuts

The traders at the APMC yard in Yeshwantpur have complained that indiscriminate power cuts are causing them a loss of Rs 6 to 8 crore a day.

On Tuesday, there was no electricity supply 10 am to 3 pm affecting work across the yard as weighing scales and bridges. The bank branches had to function without power. “This is not an isolated problem, but it happens everyday and it is damaging our equipment. The infrastructure here is age old,” said Chairman of the FKCCI APMC committee Ramesh Chandra Lahoti. He added that the APMC pays close to Rs 1 crore as market fees to the government everyday.

Tired of the recurring electricity supply problems, traders are now looking to beef up their own UPS systems. “While a backup of 2-3 hours used to suffice before, nowadays we are upgrading in order to have backup of up to 6 hours,” Lahoti added. This was echoed by a Bank of Baroda employee who stated that the bank has undertaken upgradation of its UPS machinery.

Also being affected are the two cold storages in the APMC. While Yeshwantpur yard has two cold storages. Traders stated that they are only half full since storage becomes too expensive. “The cold storages are supplied power from external sources like generators. But the cost of storage increases tremendously and the people do not use them,” Lahoti added.

The matter is not just of old failing infrastructure but also of lack of awareness about BESCOM’s more recent measures to cater to customers needs. Upon being asked, the local maintenance man seemed unaware of the helpline service or the SMS complaint facility. “We call the Nandini Layout division and they cater to our complaints after many hours,” he said. “We are not informed about regular cuts as well,” he added.

The officials blamed the conditions that the transformer is kept in. Present at the site on Tuesday, an Assistant Executive Engineer pointed out that garbage thrown into BESCOM enclosures is an attraction for animals which disrupt the power supply. “The equipment is new. There is no solution to this problem as it is a recurring one,” he said.

The APMC is spread across 86 acres and has 3,000 shops with two banks.