Since the equipment at the receiving station was imported from Japan, a team of experts from there will fly down to inspect the damage
Since the equipment at the receiving station was imported from Japan, a team of experts from there will fly down to inspect the damage
It appears that dark days are not yet completely over for SoBoites. Though the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) has temporarily repaired the Backbay receiving station, the threat of a sudden power cut still looms large, at least over the residents of Colaba and Cuffe Parade localities for the next two to three days.
Destroyed by fire: A transformer that was burnt on Sunday at the
Backbay receiving station. Workers spent hours inside the receiving
station cleaning up the burnt residue.
PICS/Mukul Pawar
On Sunday, locals from Cuffe Parade to Navy Nagar had to face a rare blackout after a Tata Power cable burnt down, causing a fire at a transformer at Backbay. The fire has gravely damaged the electricity cables, affecting the efficiency of the transformer and other equipment.
More power cuts
According to sources in the BEST, since the equipment installed at the receiving station was imported from Japan, a team of Japanese experts would be arriving in a couple of days to inspect the damage. "The Japanese team would be checking the switchgears and other equipment burnt in the fire. We want to eliminate the threat of any power fluctuations due to minutest of errors," said O P Gupta, general manager, BEST.
This means that until the Japanese team certifies that the equipment inside the receiving station is fit to be used again, chances of power failures at Colaba, Cuffe Parade and Navy Nagar, are high. Moreover, it could take around a week to complete the repair work.
Cause of fire
Meanwhile, the BEST is investigating the exact cause of the fire. According to the officials, prima facie it appears that the fire started in one of the three cables of Tata Power inside the receiving station, later engulfing the switchgears and other equipment.
Yesterday morning when the locals approached the BEST officials to inquire about the restoration of power supply, the officials informed them that it would be done by 7 pm. However, the power supply between Colaba and Navy Nagar was only restored around 7.30 pm. Besides, the BEST had installed 50 generator sets to provide temporary supply to selected areas.
Officialspeak
N A Walawalkar, PRO, BEST, said, "For no fault of ours, the people are blaming us. The cables that was burnt belong to Tata Power and were connected to the transformer inside."
Business affected
While the power failure may not affect business for five-star hotels and commercial establishments in the area as they have diesel generators to back them up, it will be the small shops and hotels that will be bearing the brunt of this power cut.
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