Lorry crash topples 30 electric poles, plunges Bengaluru's Chikkabanavara into darkness

Bengaluru: Nearly 6,000 households near Chikkabanavara were left without power for almost a day after a tipper lorry severed Bescom power supply wires, toppling about 30 electric poles in the early hours of Saturday. The incident affected approximately 34 transformers, with power only being restored by Saturday evening. The mishap occurred on the stretch between Chikkabanavara Circle and Dwarakanagar.

Bescom officials reported that the incident took place around 2:20 AM when the lorry’s rear carrier broke the wires. “The lorry driver seems to have been irresponsible and did not realise that the carrier was snapping the wires and has driven through for nearly half a kilometre, as a result, the wires have snapped and pulled down close to 30 poles,” the officials explained.

Restoration work began early Saturday morning, with about 85% completed by 5 PM, and most areas had power restored by then. “Restoring power supply was of the utmost priority and we assigned multiple teams to restore power at the earliest,” the official said.

Although there were no casualties, Bescom estimates infrastructure losses between Rs 7 to Rs 8 lakh. Along with the 30 fallen poles, power fluctuations damaged around 34 transformers. “We had to repair the wires, erect new poles and restore power. While we have not kept an exact cost of items being replaced, we estimate that the damages have resulted in losses up to Rs eight lakh,” another official said. 

A police complaint has been filed against the lorry driver at the Soladevanahalli Police Station.