Heavy Storm Topples Power Poles in Bhatkal: 200 Homes Left in Darkness After HESCOM Fails to Respond
Over 200 households in Bhatkal's Muslim majority localities plunged into blackout for 24 hours as uprooted electricity poles and fallen trees blocked repairs, triggering angry protests against the power company.
A fierce late evening storm hit Bhatkal and surrounding areas on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds that tore through the region like a wrecking ball.
In the densely populated Muslim majority localities under Heble Panchayat including Rahmat Abad, Firdous Nagar, Mina Road and Haneef Abad, multiple electricity poles snapped and came crashing down along with large trees ripped clean from their roots.
The result: more than 200 homes lost power completely. Residents have now spent a full day and night trapped in the dark during peak summer heat with no relief in sight.
HESCOM workers did show up at the scene and began clearing work but made little progress through the night. As afternoon came and power still had not been restored, tempers boiled over.
Frustrated locals gathered on the streets and marched straight to the local HESCOM office. They demanded answers face to face with officials. When officers gave no clear timeline for restoration, the crowd grew louder and angrier. One resident pointed out that HESCOM had staff ready to work in another area but absolutely nobody assigned to Rahmat Abad.
Heble Panchayat member Syed Ali later confirmed that after sustained public pressure and repeated complaints, an emergency technical team was finally dispatched to the affected spots. Crews have started removing toppled poles and straightening tangled wires. However he admitted that full supply restoration may still take several more hours.
Local social workers are keeping a close watch on the situation. They have asked HESCOM authorities to speed things up, especially considering the acute water shortage compounding people’s misery in the sweltering heat.
