Express News Service By

BENGALURU: It is official. The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) will cut power for four hours in residential areas from Wednesday.

That is an hour added to the three-hour load shedding already in force. Bengaluru is already reeling under long, unscheduled power cuts.

Industries will also share the pain, taking a two-hour cut as power generation deteriorates further. Commercial consumers will similarly face two hours of load shedding.

Pankaj Kumar Pandey, MD of Bescom, called a meeting on Tuesday and conveyed the news to representatives of various industries.

The industrialists requested a steady supply to the extent possible, especially in the suburban industrial clusters.

Five hydel power plants have stopped functioning totally, and two in Sharavati and Nagajhari are working at low levels as the stocks in the reservoirs have gone down.

Pandey explained generation details and assured equitable distribution during the crisis.

He proposed a rotating weekly off for industrial areas. Industrialists sought time to come up with a schedule after discussions among themselves. Pandey has called a meeting of extra high-tension line users on Wednesday. He will ask them to reduce their consumption during peak hours.