Residents of Worli Koliwada have been enduring frequent and prolonged power cuts over the past month, with the situation worsening sharply in recent days. What began as intermittent disruptions during the summer has escalated into complete outages lasting over five hours each night for the last three days, triggering widespread frustration among locals.
Despite repeated complaints to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking and appeals to senior civic authorities, including the municipal commissioner and mayor, residents claim there has been little response or clarity. The absence of communication has intensified concerns, with many alleging that unauthorised construction in the area is straining the already ageing power infrastructure.
Responding to the issue, a deputy engineer from the Worli BEST office said, “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, the load on power lines has indeed 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.”
Residents, however, remain unconvinced. Sharad Koli, who has written to civic officials, said, “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.”
Echoing similar frustration, Vaibhav Warlikar said, “How are we supposed to rest if the electricity goes off in the night? For the past three nights, the electricity shuts off 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 added, “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 arrived in our area to assess the situation, we stopped them and protested. The police were also present. Those employees did not give any answers. They simply gave us their senior’s contact number and left. That senior hasn’t answered our calls.”
For the past three nights, power cuts have begun around 1 am, severely disrupting residents’ sleep and daily routines.
Source: Mid-day
