Which is the first city in India to have electricity?

JCSon

First city in India to have electricity: Bangalore, in 1906 (it was in fact the first city in Asia to have electricity) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firsts_in_India Jun 18 08, 12:30 PM

author

Bangalore was not the first city in Asia to have electricity. This happened in Japan. Quote: Electricity was first used in Japan on March 25, 1878 at the Institute of Technology in Toranomon, Tokyo when an arc lamp was switched on in commemoration of the opening of the Central Telegraph Office. Eight years later, in 1886, Tokyo Electric Lighting commenced operations as the nation's first electricity company, and began supplying electricity to the public in the following year. Electricity was at first used primarily for lighting and gradually found more broadly-based applications as a power source. By 1896, the number of electricity companies established throughout the nation reached a total of 33, and the number of electric lights with a power supply increased to 120,000. http://www.japannuclear.com/about/history.html Jun 18 08, 3:04 PM

JCSon

It appears the wikipedia article is wrong on two counts. Bangalore may in actual fact be neither the first Asian city, nor the first Indian city, to be electrified. CESC Limited claims to have commenced electrification of Kolkata (Calcutta) in 1899. "CESC Limited is the pioneer in the history of generation of electricity in India. We commenced power generation and distribution in Kolkata, in 1899. The electrification of Kolkata city took place seventeen years after New York, which boasted of Electricity in 1882 and eleven years after London, which was electrified in 1888." Source: http://www.cescltd.com/generation/home.php Jun 18 08, 5:17 PM

author

Seoul Electric Company, founded in 1898, was also earlier than Bangalore. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel5/4483790/4510249/04510266.pdf?isnumber=4510249&prod=CNF&arnumber=4510266&arSt=192&ared=200&arAuthor=Moon-Hyon+Nam%2C Jun 18 08, 8:21 PM