Mahim residents sweat it out amid three-hour blackout over unreliable BEST supply

REPRESENTATION PIC/PEXELS

Power cuts continued in the Matunga-Mahim area near Mogul Lane even as residents complained that the supply had been in an erratic state this summer. On Thursday evening, the residents faced a three-hour power cut, with the BEST acknowledging it as a feeder supply issue.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) supplies electricity in the island city, particularly in the older parts of Mumbai.

Following complaints, a BEST official said the problem at Mahim had been attended to promptly. "There was an issue with the feeder there. Teams were dispatched and the problem was resolved on priority," Deputy General Manager (electric supply) NN Chougule said.

Dedicated centres

Facing criticism over poor response during power outages, the BEST Undertaking on Tuesday set up dedicated call centres across all wards in the city and also hired temporary staff to fix all the power related problems. Officials acknowledged a staff shortage in the power supply division and have drawn up an action plan to tackle the problem on a war footing.

Residents raise complaint

Mahalakshmi Ravinarayan, a tutor and resident of Mahim
Imagine that in peak summer, there was no power supply in Mahim West, Mogul Lane, Sitladevi Temple Road, etc., for three hours - from 5.15 pm to 8.15 pm. The worst part is that there was no response from the BEST fuse control room. After much trying, I got connected to one number, which responded by saying it may be cable damage and their fault repair vehicle is on the way.

5.15 pm to 8.15 pm
Time of power outage