Overview
- Repeated multi‑hour outages have hit Girgaon and nearby South Mumbai neighbourhoods over the past week, prompting angry residents to confront BEST officials and warning of road‑block protests.
- BEST has identified key faults including a 33,000‑volt wiring fault near the Marine Lines bridge and suspect underground cables that run up to 15 feet beneath suburban railway tracks.
- On Tuesday BEST approved a ₹20 crore action plan that includes hiring about 690 field workers, temporarily transferring 127 drivers and 100 mechanics, and setting up an extra fault control unit in Tardeo.
- The plan also buys short‑term relief through 350 rented diesel generator sets, aerial lifts and special repair vehicles, and diverts alternate 11 kV feeds while work continues under restricted access and railway permissions.
- Officials and local leaders say long‑term cable replacement, additional substations and a demand survey are needed to prevent recurrence because ageing 1980s cables plus redevelopment and heatwave demand are overloading the network.