Mysuru: Darshini shor, Chescom chutney chor!

Mysuru: These may not be the kind of restaurants frequented by the chief minister in his hometown of Mysuru, but the man on the street does... And he isn't happy at all. Reason? The unseasonal power cuts by Chescom are depriving the Mysurean of what he loves best — the fresh coconut chutney on his piping hot idlis and mouth-watering dosas.

Darshinis across the heritage city have been hit by four hour power cuts, which sometimes last even longer. Bigger chains have access to generators and UPS, but Karnataka’s signature fast food eateries are caught on the back foot.

“Most cannot afford their own generators”, said Mr M. Rajendra, president, Karnataka State Hoteliers Association, who admitted that ever since the unscheduled load-shedding, he had been inundated with complaints from ‘darshinis’.

The timing of the power cut is a problem. Most eating joints open for business at 6 am. But, the power goes before they can even switch on their grinders. Without electricity, even their store of unused batter, vegetables and dairy products spoil as refrigerators shut down said Mr Jagadish, who sells idli-dosas from his home in Chamundipuram.

“I need 10 minutes to make chutney but the power is erratic. Some customers understand my plight. Everybody doesn’t. I am losing my customers,” he moaned. No special favours even in the CM’s hometown!