Large-scale damage to power infrastructure in Bengaluru due to rain
BESCOM records Rs 65.3 crore loss this FY
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Bengaluru: Along with causing waterlogging and danger of inundation of houses, the heavy showers in Bengaluru have hit its power infrastructure on a large scale, with 1,465 electricity poles and 190 transformers being damaged this month.
Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) officials have estimated that an additional 600 to 700 poles might be damaged in the next 10 days. The areas under the limits of BESCOM recorded damage of 1,880 electricity poles and 151 transformers in April this year, due to rain. So far, BESCOM’s loss due to rain in the Financial Year 2025-26 is recorded to be Rs 65.3 crore, reports The Hindu.
In April this year, the city witnessed a threefold hike in damage to power poles, as against the damage in April 2024, when 558 poles were affected. While nine transformers were damaged in April 2024, the number increased drastically this year.
The increased intensity of wind and rain has caused the damage in April 2025, according to BESCOM officials. A senior officer added that intensive rainfall started in mid-April this year while in 2024 it was in the last week of the month. Additionally, the number of days when the city received heavy showers accompanied by forceful winds was also much higher this year, as compared to last year, he added, clarifying that, as a result, it would be difficult to compare the level of damage.
The officer also said that loosening of soil due to the civil works going on in Bengaluru has also led to the uprooting of trees. He explained that more than one power pole along a power line would be affected when one tree fell.
BESCOM has said that the problem during such weather had no permanent solution. The officer, however, said that they had contacted the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Forest Department for pre-monsoon maintenance, as it would help alleviate the problem. He explained that the BBMP and Forest Department would take up the maintenance work in mid-January, with BESCOM providing manpower as well as financial and material assistance.
Experts, however, have stressed that a scientific approach towards maintenance and a successful implementation of both aerial and underground cables would be needed to prevent such damage.
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'The Ba**ds of Bollywood’ mirrors my life, damages my reputation: Sameer Wankhede tells Delhi HC
New Delhi: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has submitted his reply to the Delhi High Court in the defamation case he filed against Red Chillies Entertainment, the production company owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan. The case pertains to the recently released series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, which Wankhede claims has defamed him.
In his statement to the court, Wankhede asserted that the show’s portrayal of a police officer is clearly based on him and has caused serious harm to his public image. He cited four key reasons supporting his claim.
First, he said the character in question bears physical similarities to him, including facial and body features. Second, he noted that the character’s working style and mannerisms closely resemble his own.
Third, Wankhede highlighted that the officer in the show is depicted making a high-profile arrest involving a major film personality, which he said directly mirrors his own involvement in the Aryan Khan drug case.
Fourth, he pointed out that the character frequently uses the phrase “Satyameva Jayate,” a motto he himself had used during media interactions in the course of that investigation. He argued that using the national motto in such a context cannot be dismissed as creative expression or humour.
Wankhede also referred to an interview in which Aryan Khan allegedly admitted that the show was “inspired by some real events.” This, he said, contradicts Red Chillies Entertainment’s claim that The Ba**ds of Bollywood* is purely fictional.
He further alleged that the tone and intent of the series indicate personal and institutional vendetta, aimed at discrediting and defaming him rather than engaging in artistic storytelling.
Wankhede informed the court that the fallout from the show has affected his family, with his wife and sister receiving abusive and vulgar messages online.
Rejecting Red Chillies’ argument that he is a “thin-skinned” officer, Wankhede said that a public servant cannot be expected to tolerate false and damaging portrayals simply because of his position. He emphasized that his legal action seeks to protect the constitutional rights and dignity of both himself and his family.
