The power crisis in South and Central Mumbai has stirred controversy in the Maharashtra State Assembly. Lawmakers from all parties criticized the government for prolonged power outages lasting up to 12 hours. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar called for immediate accountability from the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking to address the issue.
Narwekar expressed dissatisfaction with the persistent blackouts, blaming BEST for not upgrading its infrastructure to cope with climate change challenges. He demanded a detailed plan from BEST officials to enhance future power supply. Additionally, he instructed BEST to report on measures taken to resolve technical faults and improve response times at call centers.
During a session discussing a Call Attention Motion, Congress MLA Amin Patel and BJP MLA Captain R Tamil Selvan demanded swift action to address the financial and physical losses faced by citizens and businesses due to power failures. Patel criticized the management for neglecting the distribution network’s strengthening due to financial constraints. He urged the immediate deployment of mobile generators and advanced fault-finding technology.
The crisis was underscored by an incident where a legislator was trapped in a lift for over two hours due to a power outage. Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal acknowledged the power load surge causing disruptions and assured the assembly of government efforts to modernize the distribution network through urgent measures. The government is working on upgrading the system to prevent future outages.
