Mumbai power cuts due to rising demand, overloaded network: Maharashtra govt
The Maharashtra government told the Assembly that Mumbai's repeated power outages are being driven by heat-led demand and an overloaded BEST network.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday told the Assembly that frequent power outages in Mumbai are linked to a surge in electricity demand and an overloaded distribution network, and said new sub-stations are being proposed to reduce the problem.
Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar also expressed sharp displeasure over the way the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has handled the issue.
Replying to a calling attention notice, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal said unusually high temperatures in May and June had pushed up power demand, putting pressure on the existing system and leading to repeated supply interruptions.
Narwekar said a high-level meeting with BEST and civic officials would be held later in the day to review the issue and prepare an action plan.
Misal said Mumbai recorded its highest temperatures in 57 years during May and June, which led to a sharp rise in electricity demand.
"Peak power demand shot up from about 907 MW in 2025 to around 1,010 MW, putting heavy pressure on the existing distribution infrastructure and leading to frequent supply interruptions," she said.
The minister added that existing distribution points and overhead equipment were under excessive load, making new power sub-stations necessary. She said BEST had identified three sites for new sub-stations and sent the proposal to the Mumbai City Collector for land allotment.
"The additional substations would help ease the load and improve the reliability of the power supply," she added.
During the discussion, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ajay Chaudhary said power cuts had become frequent over the past two years and claimed that south Mumbai alone had around 1,200 temporary jumper connections, raising concerns about the condition of the network during the monsoon.
Referring to the recent Chor Bazaar fire, he asked whether the government intended to weaken BEST and demanded that vacant technical posts be filled at the earliest. He also alleged that consumers were unable to get through to the BEST call centre and that complaints remained unattended for hours.
Congress MLA Amin Patel questioned whether the electricity situation in Mumbai had begun to resemble that of villages. "Are we living in a village or Mumbai city?" he asked. He said MLA Raees Shaikh was stuck in a lift for two hours because of sudden load shedding.
In response to concerns over staffing, Misal said recruitment for 719 employees was under way and around 150 appointments had already been completed. She added that work to upgrade around 1,200 distribution points was also in progress.
Intervening in the debate, Narwekar said the situation was unacceptable for Mumbai, the country's financial capital, and said BEST was responsible for ensuring uninterrupted electricity distribution.
He said BEST had "completely failed" in discharging its responsibility and directed officials to immediately provide details on the time taken to resolve consumer complaints, improve the call-centre system, and submit a comprehensive plan to ensure such widespread outages do not recur next year.
He said a meeting would be held at 3 pm on Tuesday in his office with the BEST general manager, the Mumbai municipal commissioner and state government representatives to review the matter and work out a long-term solution.
MLAs Amin Patel, Rais Shaikh and Mahesh Sawant then sat in the well of the House, and Patel threatened to go on a hunger strike if the issue was not resolved.
The discussion in the Assembly centred on repeated power cuts in Mumbai, with the government linking them to high demand and strain on the network, while legislators pressed for quicker complaint handling, staff recruitment and stronger infrastructure. The Speaker has now called a meeting with key officials to work on immediate and long-term steps.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday told the Assembly that frequent power outages in Mumbai are linked to a surge in electricity demand and an overloaded distribution network, and said new sub-stations are being proposed to reduce the problem.
Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar also expressed sharp displeasure over the way the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has handled the issue.
Replying to a calling attention notice, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal said unusually high temperatures in May and June had pushed up power demand, putting pressure on the existing system and leading to repeated supply interruptions.
Narwekar said a high-level meeting with BEST and civic officials would be held later in the day to review the issue and prepare an action plan.
Misal said Mumbai recorded its highest temperatures in 57 years during May and June, which led to a sharp rise in electricity demand.
"Peak power demand shot up from about 907 MW in 2025 to around 1,010 MW, putting heavy pressure on the existing distribution infrastructure and leading to frequent supply interruptions," she said.
The minister added that existing distribution points and overhead equipment were under excessive load, making new power sub-stations necessary. She said BEST had identified three sites for new sub-stations and sent the proposal to the Mumbai City Collector for land allotment.
"The additional substations would help ease the load and improve the reliability of the power supply," she added.
During the discussion, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ajay Chaudhary said power cuts had become frequent over the past two years and claimed that south Mumbai alone had around 1,200 temporary jumper connections, raising concerns about the condition of the network during the monsoon.
Referring to the recent Chor Bazaar fire, he asked whether the government intended to weaken BEST and demanded that vacant technical posts be filled at the earliest. He also alleged that consumers were unable to get through to the BEST call centre and that complaints remained unattended for hours.
Congress MLA Amin Patel questioned whether the electricity situation in Mumbai had begun to resemble that of villages. "Are we living in a village or Mumbai city?" he asked. He said MLA Raees Shaikh was stuck in a lift for two hours because of sudden load shedding.
In response to concerns over staffing, Misal said recruitment for 719 employees was under way and around 150 appointments had already been completed. She added that work to upgrade around 1,200 distribution points was also in progress.
Intervening in the debate, Narwekar said the situation was unacceptable for Mumbai, the country's financial capital, and said BEST was responsible for ensuring uninterrupted electricity distribution.
He said BEST had "completely failed" in discharging its responsibility and directed officials to immediately provide details on the time taken to resolve consumer complaints, improve the call-centre system, and submit a comprehensive plan to ensure such widespread outages do not recur next year.
He said a meeting would be held at 3 pm on Tuesday in his office with the BEST general manager, the Mumbai municipal commissioner and state government representatives to review the matter and work out a long-term solution.
MLAs Amin Patel, Rais Shaikh and Mahesh Sawant then sat in the well of the House, and Patel threatened to go on a hunger strike if the issue was not resolved.
The discussion in the Assembly centred on repeated power cuts in Mumbai, with the government linking them to high demand and strain on the network, while legislators pressed for quicker complaint handling, staff recruitment and stronger infrastructure. The Speaker has now called a meeting with key officials to work on immediate and long-term steps.
