Hubballi: Normalcy has yet to return to this city, home to the Hescom headquarters, following recent thunderstorms and rain. The situation has laid bare a lack of coordination among Hescom, KUIDFC, HDMC, and other departments.
Water Supply Hampered by Power Outages
Although KUIDFC is supplying water as usual, residents are unable to lift it due to prolonged power outages. On Thursday night, water supply resumed in some areas, but repeated power cuts prevented storage. Hescom claims supply is restored, but ground reality contradicts this.
Residents Forced to Hotels
With no water even for toilets, some well-to-do families, including children, are checking into hotels. Prof. BC Goudar, a resident of Shirur Park I Stage, told TOI that when people complained to HDMC, they were told tree branches would be removed only after Hescom removed fallen cables. However, Hescom officials were unreachable. Unable to get water and facing darkness without fans or ACs, his family moved to a hotel on Hubballi-Dharwad Road, along with three to four other families.
Prof. Denial Hosakeri of Shivagiri told TOI his family stayed in a hotel due to power and water issues. Water was supplied all night on Sunday, but power was off for nearly three days. Children could not cope with the heat after rain, so they stayed in a hotel for three days, returning only when power resumed.
An entrepreneur from Raghavendra Colony, requesting anonymity, said his family stayed in a hotel for a day before embarking on a tour to Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra.
Official Response
Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA Mahesh Tenginkai said power supply is almost restored. He convened a meeting of various departments and directed officials to expedite restoration. A total of 76 poles were uprooted; Hescom personnel reinstalled 14 on Tuesday and 50 the next day. Many corporators in the constituency are following up with officials. District minister Santosh Lad was unavailable for comment.
