Fed up with blackouts, man grinds masala at electricity office
What's the story
Irked with power cuts, a man in Karnataka goes to his nearby electricity office every day to grind spices and charge his phone.
M Hanumanthappa, a resident of Mangote village in Shivamogga district, has been doing this at the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (MESCOM) office for the last 10 months after an official told him to do so following a heated argument.
Details
Hanumanthappa's family receives electricity for 3-4 hours a day
Hanumanthappa's family receives a power supply of 3-4 hours a day, forcing his family to stay in dark for the rest of the day.
He requested officials of MESCOM to provide his home with a proper power supply.
However, after months of requests, quarrels and follow-ups, he didn't get the proper supply.
His requests to the local public representative and MLA also went unheard.
Incident
Why did he start visiting MESCOM office to grind masala
One day, Hanumanthappa called a senior MESCOM official and said, "How do you think we should grind masala and cook food at home? How should we charge our phones?"
"That's a basic necessity, I can't go into my neighbor's house every day for these," he added.
To this, the officer said, "Then go to the MESCOM office and grind your masala."
Information
Hanumanthappa took the advice seriously
Notably, Hanumanthappa took the advice seriously and began his daily trips to the MESCOM office and no staff member objected to this. Since then, he has been visiting the electricity office with a mixer to operate it and also to charge his phone.
Officials
Hanumanthappa will get power supply within a month: Office
When asked about the incident, Vishwanath, the Junior Engineer of MESCOM, told the media that due to heavy rains IP sets couldn't be charged.
Hanumanthappa can get a temporary power supply by drawing an electric line from the Mallapura distribution center, reports said.
However, Vishwanath promised that Hanumanthappa's house will get a power connection within a month.