Bangalore, January 4, 2014: After sparring over the right of way for the laying of cables for power supply, Bangalore University (BU) and Energy Department officials have arrived at a consensus to prevent digging of the newly laid main road on the BU’s Jnana Bharati campus.
After a joint inspection by officials of BU, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) and Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL), a consensus was arrived at. While Amita Prasad, Principle Secretary, Energy Department, said here earlier on Friday on the sidelines of a Bescom programme that they had requested BU to suggest an alterative route, Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor B. Thimme Gowda confirmed later that the route from the ladies’ hostel via the Physical Education Department towards the postgraduate (PG-5) hostel had been agreed upon.
“The sketch of the new route has been drawn up and we will give our final nod once the university’s syndicate approves it,” Prof. Gowda said.
The Vice-Chancellor, along with students of Bangalore University, had staged a protest against what they termed “blackmail tactics of Bescom and KPTCL” on Thursday. They had alleged that Bescom had resorted to cutting power supply to Bangalore University as the varsity authorities had refused to allow them to lay the cables by digging up the newly laid road. They claimed that the varsity did not have power supply for nearly a week because of which examination and research work had been affected.
The Bangalore University’s contention was that Rs. 12 crore had been spent on relaying the road, and digging it up again would be waste of resources. The proposed Bescom project is to link the station at Vrishabhavathi valley with the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Layout via Jnanabharathi through 66 kV lines.
“They wanted to cut the road opposite the Kannada Department. The alternative route will be some 200 to 250 metres longer than their route,” Prof. Gowda added.
