The Hindu                   17.04.2013

Bescom switches off power supply to Russell Market over unpaid bill

More than 480 traders and vendors of Russell Market in the city, who had to make do without power supply for almost a year after the iconic market was ravaged by fire, suffered a scare on Tuesday when Bescom officials cut their electricity connection, plunging the market into darkness again.

Power supply to the entire market, which was disconnected in the morning, was restored by evening after the shopkeepers hurriedly cleared 10 months’ minimum charge they had agreed to pay.

Apparently, the Bescom restored power connection last month after receiving an undertaking from the shopkeepers that they would pay the arrears, which works out to Rs. 836 for each shop. Though a majority of the shopkeepers had paid up, a few hadn’t, said Mohammed Idrees Choudhury, general secretary, Russell Market Fruit Merchants’ Association. “We cleared the arrears today after power was disconnected. Electricity was restored in the evening,” he said.

The traders had a hard time after fire ripped through the 85-year-old market in February 2012, consuming 174 shops.

In the war of attrition that followed between the traders and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, which wanted to demolish the landmark structure, the traders conducted their business for almost a year with lamps and diesel generators, till the power supply was restored last month.