07 May,2026 08:34 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Restoration work underway at the Tel Galli sub-station after a fire triggered prolonged outages, disrupting power and water supply across South and Central Mumbai. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Residents across South and Central Mumbai have been facing severe power cuts due to multiple faults, culminating in the gutting of a power sub-station in Tel Galli near Zaveri Bazaar - one of India's largest gold and jewellery markets comprising shops, specialised traders, imitation jewellery units, and hallmarking centres.
"We have been having a problem for the past week after the sub-station incident. We were told there was a fire at a sub-station at Tel Galli near Zaveri Bazaar, after which the supply was disconnected. The problem was set right after more than 24 hours. It is a big issue in summer when such incidents occur," a resident said.
"The problem is massive. Not just in my ward at Zaveri Bazaar, but across South Mumbai - I have been getting many calls and messages. The issue aggravated after the sub-station fire. Power was restored in phases. BEST was prompt in action, but the results were delayed. Many senior citizens and children suffered," Akash Raj Purohit, local corporator, said.
"In fact, even now, power has not been restored in many commercial establishments, though residential supply has resumed. The issue is not just power, but water as well. Without electricity, water pumps stop functioning, affecting the supply. It feels like living in a village without basic utilities," he told mid-day.
In Worli Koliwada, irregular power cuts throughout April have left residents frustrated by slow response times from BEST. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray had taken up the issue with BEST General Manager Sonia Sethi. Addressing the cause, BEST Chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao explained that the current infrastructure is overwhelmed. "The problem at Worli was due to the additional load. There was only one sub-station, which was unable to handle it. We are setting up another sub-station, and the issue will be resolved."
In Matunga, a power cut at 8.45 pm on Tuesday was restored at 10.45 pm. Activist Nikhil Desai flagged the lack of communication during outages. "The worst part is that once a power failure occurs, the mobile numbers of all BEST officers go off. They should keep at least one number active to provide basic information. That is the least a taxpayer and consumer deserves. After I complained to both the municipal commissioner and Mumbai police commissioner and insisted on a response, I received a message from BEST: Due to a fault, your electric supply is temporarily interrupted. Supply restoration work is in progress," he said.
He added, "BEST should think out of the box and introduce a citizen charter. If the power supply is interrupted for more than an hour, all 10 lakh consumers should get a refund of Rs 100 per hour until the supply
is restored."
In case of breakdowns, BEST has three levels of electricity supply restoration centres.
For individual issues, consumers must contact the respective fuse control.
If an entire building or part of it is affected, the fault control centre should be contacted. For larger area outages, system control must be approached.
For streetlights, complaints can be registered with the fault control centre.
These centres operate 24/7.
BEST officials said the sub-station issue at Tel Galli has been resolved and cable work is underway, with supply expected to normalise soon. "Our teams attend to all calls, and redressal happens within a set time frame," an official said.
Dadar
Contact no. : 022-24146611, 9920356611, 9029126611
WhatsApp no.: 8828830283
Mahim
Contact no. : 022-24314242, 9920654242, 9029134242
WhatsApp no. : 8828871657
Worli
Contact no. : 9920156611, 9029136611
WhatsApp no. : 8828847568
Dharavi
Contact no. : 022-24444242, 9920654242, 9029134242
WhatsApp no. : 8828871657
South Zone
Pathakwadi
Contact no. : 9029174242, 9920334242, 022-22084242
WhatsApp no. : 8828847565
8.45 pm
Time of power cut on May 5
