Residents of Worli Koliwada have reported frequent and prolonged power outages over the past month, with night-long shutdowns for the last three days causing major disruption. Locals allege that illegal construction and increased load on old infrastructure are worsening the problem
The situation in Worli Koliwada early on Wednesday morning. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Residents of Worli Koliwada have been grappling with persistent and unexplained power outages over the past month, with the situation worsening significantly in recent days. While initial disruptions were tolerated as a seasonal occurrence during the summer months, complete electricity shutdowns lasting over five hours each night for the past three days have pushed residents to the brink of frustration.
Locals report that repeated complaints to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), as well as appeals to the offices of the municipal commissioner and the mayor, have gone unanswered. This lack of official communication or resolution has only deepened their concerns. Furthermore, residents have alleged that ongoing illegal construction activities in the area may be a major contributing factor to the outages.
Authorities speak
Deputy engineer from the Worli BEST office told mid-day, “Two faults were reported at two different locations in the area. The electricity was shut off as repair work was going on. It is not true that the area had a power cut for three consecutive days. However, it is true that the load on power lines has increased remarkably in the past few months due to multiple construction activities and also due to the summer season. We are trying to find out the exact problem spots and will come up with a solution at the earliest.”
Voice of frustration
Sharad Koli, resident who wrote to civic officials
‘Unauthorised development across Worli Koliwada is placing undue stress on the local power infrastructure. Complaints have been filed with the G South ward office, but no action has been taken so far. We file the complaint, the ward office sends notices to the families concerned and the developer, the developer approaches the court and gets a stay order on the complaint and completes the work. They take electricity from our wires, install temporary water pumps, and all this puts extra load on the older wires and connections’
Vaibhav Warlikar, resident
‘How are we supposed to rest if the electricity goes off in the night? For the past three nights, the electricity shuts around 1 am and does not come back on before 6 am. When should we rest, and how should we go to our work if we are not well-rested in hot weather’
Thomas D’Souza, resident
‘We were made to go from pillar to post. On Tuesday, we first visited the Worli BEST office, they asked us to visit their Mahim office. From there, we were sent back to the Worli office, and they said that we need to take up the matter with the Bandra main office. We also did not get any answers. Later, when BEST employees reached our area to check the situation, we stopped them and protested. The police were also present. Those employees did not give any answers. They simply gave us their seniors contact number and left. That senior hasn’t answered our calls’
1 am
Time power cuts began for past three days
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