Power infra crunch hits Belagavi growth, industries demand action

Belagavi: Concerned over growing power infrastructure constraints affecting industrial growth, senior officials of the Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited (Hescom) and representatives of major industrial associations held a high-level emergency meeting at the Belgaum Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) office here on Thursday.

The meeting, chaired by Hescom’s superintendent engineer, was attended by office-bearers of the Belgaum District Small Scale Industries Association (BDSSIA), BCCI, Laghu Udyog Bharati, and other industrial bodies.

Industrial leaders highlighted that Belagavi, recognised as Karnataka’s second-largest foundry hub and a key supplier to the automotive, aerospace and engineering sectors, is facing serious challenges due to an ageing and overburdened power distribution network. They warned that inadequate power infrastructure could hamper ongoing industrial expansion and future investments in the region.

BDSSIA president Nitin Landge and secretary Satish Nerlekar submitted a detailed memorandum to Hescom outlining several urgent requirements and reforms. Among the key concerns raised was the lack of adequate power capacity in industrial areas such as Udyambag, Machhe and Kanbaragi. Representatives stated that existing substations and transformers are operating near maximum capacity and are unable to meet the growing demand from expanding industries and new MSME units.

The associations also demanded dedicated power stations and independent industrial feeders to ensure a reliable electricity supply. Frequent voltage fluctuations and unannounced tripping, they said, are damaging costly machinery, disrupting production, and resulting in substantial financial losses, particularly for foundry units.

Industrialists further pointed to operational shortcomings in Hescom’s billing and customer service systems. They cited instances of verification errors in deposit transactions and urged the utility to introduce point-of-sale (POS) machines and strengthen digital payment facilities at all sub-divisional offices.

Concerns were also raised over the effectiveness of Hescom’s grievance redressal mechanism. Representatives complained about non-functional complaint lines, delayed responses to emergency calls, and the absence of a proper complaint-tracking system.

Industry leaders stressed that the manufacturing sector remains one of Hescom’s largest and most dependable revenue contributors and argued that investments in infrastructure upgrades would not only benefit industries but also reduce technical losses and improve overall power distribution efficiency.

Responding to the concerns, the superintendent engineer assured the gathering that Hescom recognises Belagavi’s strategic importance to Karnataka’s industrial economy. He announced that the utility would undertake a comprehensive technical survey of major industrial zones and expedite modernisation measures aimed at reducing outages and improving supply reliability.

BDSSIA vice-president Sandeep Bagewadi, BCCI president Prabhakar Nagarmunoli, BCCI Hescom Committee chairman Anand Desai, BDSSIA joint secretary Basavaraj Rampure, Laghu Udyog Bharati Karnataka president Mahesh Inamdar, secretary Prashant Patil, and Belgaum Foundry Cluster secretary Sadanand Humberwadi, along with several prominent industrialists, were present.