Citywide Electricity Maintenance To Disrupt Bengaluru
Bengaluru residents and businesses are bracing for extensive power disruptions over January 10 and 11, as the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) implements scheduled maintenance on the 66/11 KV Soladevanahalli sub-station. Outages, expected between 10 am and 6 pm, are part of emergency works by the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) aimed at bolstering long-term reliability of electricity supply across the city.
More than 35 localities are anticipated to be affected, spanning residential hubs such as Tarabanahalli, Hurulichikkanahalli, and Chikkabanavar, as well as commercial and institutional areas including Krishna College Road, Danish Farm, and the vicinity of Acharya College. BESCOM has urged consumers to anticipate disruptions, minimise electricity use during maintenance hours, and plan essential activities in advance.Urban energy analysts note that such maintenance, while disruptive, is critical to sustaining Bengaluru’s growing electricity demand. The city’s rapid urbanisation, combined with increasing reliance on high-consumption appliances, IT hubs, and industrial operations, has placed significant stress on ageing power infrastructure. Scheduled interventions like these help reduce the risk of unplanned outages, voltage fluctuations, and transformer failures, which can have broader economic implications for commerce and urban mobility.
The Soladevanahalli sub-station serves as a key node in the northern and northwestern electricity network of Bengaluru. BESCOM officials indicated that the emergency maintenance includes inspection, replacement, and upgrading of critical equipment to enhance operational efficiency. While temporary inconvenience is inevitable, the authority emphasised that these measures will improve resilience and stability in the electricity supply, aligning with the city’s broader infrastructure sustainability goals.City planners and commercial stakeholders are watching closely, as frequent and prolonged outages can impact productivity, particularly in sectors reliant on continuous power supply such as IT parks, co-working spaces, cold chain logistics, and healthcare facilities. Analysts suggest that advance communication, coupled with contingency planning such as battery backups, diesel generators, and staggered operations, can mitigate the short-term impact of these outages.
Looking ahead, the BESCOM-KPTCL maintenance initiative underscores the challenges of managing urban utilities in fast-growing Indian cities. As Bengaluru expands, similar infrastructure upgrades are likely to become a routine feature of city management, highlighting the importance of integrating resilient energy networks with broader urban planning strategies. Effective execution of such projects can ultimately support sustainable urban growth, reduce service disruptions, and reinforce confidence in public utility management.
