Concrete roads deepen BEST-BMC standoff on power repairs in Mumbai

Mumbairsquos ongoing road concreting drive is now affecting power restoration timelines with BEST officials claiming delays in permissions to dig newly built roads are slowing down repairs to underground cable faultsAccording to BEST officials complaints related to power supply issues have risen sharply over the past year even as restoration teams struggle to access underground utility lines buried beneath concreted roadsOfficials said the issue stems from a lack of coordination between utility agencies and civic authorities forcing BEST to seek roaddigging permissions from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC every time a cable fault has to be repairedOfficials excavate a road stretch during underground cable repair and restoration work PicsBy Special ArrangementldquoEarlier it was easier to dig up a road or footpath and fix cables promptly but now with road concretisation permissions are not forthcomingrdquo a senior BEST official saidThe official added that around 2500 complaints remain ldquotechnically unattendedrdquo despite power being restored temporarily ldquoThese complaints can only be completed if road digging is allowedrdquo the official saidWhy repairs are getting delayedBEST workers carry out road digging work to access underground power cables for fault restoration Picmiddaygtgt Newly concreted roads are harder to open for repairsgtgt Permissions are required before road digginggtgt Delays in approvals are extending restoration timelinesgtgt Underground utility lines are trapped beneath concrete roadsgtgt Lowvoltage cable repairs remain a major issueHow BEST restores power during faultsWhen a cable fault is detected and road digging permission is unavailablegtgt Faulty cables are isolatedgtgt Electricity load is shifted to alternate cablesgtgt Supply is restored temporarily to consumersgtgt Permanent repairs are delayed until digging permission is grantedWhat has changedBEST officials said the BMC has now started prioritising permissions for highvoltage cable restoration work but repairs involving lowvoltage cables continue to face delaysldquoEvery time we need to fix a fault we need to approach the BMC for permissions There are delays in permissions which delay the overall timeline of restoration of powerrdquo the official saidThe official also pointed to the larger problem of multiple underground utilities sharing limited space beneath Mumbairsquos roadsldquoThe whole of Mumbairsquos utilities mdash about 27 of them mdash are below the roads and concreting has led to a lot of unprecedented problemsrdquo he addedWhy South Mumbai is more vulnerableOfficials said South Mumbai is vulnerable because several densely populated areas depend on ageing underground cable infrastructure and overloaded substations Sources said rising electricity demand has increased the number of BEST faults while manpower shortages have worsened response timelines BMC has recently allowed BEST to dig concreted roads for repairs involving Extra High Voltage EHV cables that cater to multiple phasesActivists question planningActivist Godfrey Pimenta criticised the lack of utility ducting during road concreting workldquoConcreting has become a problem There are no chambers for the cables We have a different power company in our area I do not think they wait for permissions Digging of roads is in abundance All the cables are trapped underneath and it is a waste of money Why were removable utility ducts not built into the project design I do not understand why ducting was not done All the cables need to be restored repeatedly The MTNL used to dig a lot Now it is the power companies They should have put all the utility cables under a removable duct instead of wasting public money by digging like thisrdquoBMC disagrees with BESTrsquos claimsldquoThere is no problem or hurdle in giving permission for work It is not just BEST that approaches us for permissions but Tata and Adani also ask BMC The permission is always givenrdquo a BMC official saidldquoIf other power supply agencies do not have an issue how can BEST claim to have an issue It is BMCrsquos own organisation However as per policy decisions laid down for digging roads permission is given to lay or repair utilities when road concretisation work begins on any particular road This can be the cause of delay if anyrdquo the official addedSouth Mumbai under added strainAreas facing the biggest pressureIssue DetailsAffected wards A B C D and E wardsConsumers dependent on one Fuse Control Room Around 35 lakhCongested areas impacted Bhendi Bazaar Kalbadevi Zaveri Bazaar Masjid BhuleshwarKey problems Ageing cables overloaded substations manpower shortageTemporary restoration Supply shifted from nearby substations method and alternate linesRisk Additional load pressure on active cablesEHV cable replacement progress Around 50 per cent completedTotal old EHV cable network under replacement 120 kmBy the numbersIssue DetailsRise in complaints From 6500 to 7500 over one yearIncrease over previous year Around 1000 complaintsPending complaints About 2500 technically unresolvedUtilities under Mumbai roads Around 27Inputs by Eeshanpriya MS