Mumbai: Several parts of Mumbai under the BEST Undertaking supply network have witnessed repeated power outages over the last two weeks, raising concerns over infrastructure stress during the ongoing heatwave and record electricity consumption in the city.

Multiple transformer and feeder faults disrupt supply in Dadar, Wadala, Girgaon and nearby areas as power demand crosses 4,500 MW this week

On Friday night, residents in Dadar, Wadala, Parsi Colony and Girgaon faced fresh disruptions after multiple faults were reported at the Kingsway Receiving Station in Dadar and at Girgaon Chowpatty.

According to preliminary information, the first incident was reported around 9.25 pm at the Kingsway Receiving Station after air trips occurred in Transformer No. 2 and 3, leading to interruption in electricity supply.

BEST officials said repair work was immediately taken up and restoration was expected within four hours. Almost simultaneously, another disruption was reported at Girgaon Chowpatty due to a fire in the transformer of the High Voltage Distribution Board, affecting supply in Girgaon Chowpatty and Gaondevi areas for nearly an hour.

In an official statement, BEST said the Kingsway Receiving Substation operates through four 33,000-volt Extra High Voltage feeder lines. One feeder connected to Transformer No. 1 was already under repair due to an earlier cable fault, while the load was being shifted through Transformer No. 4. Around 6.30 pm on Friday, another fault developed in the feeder supplying Transformer No. 3. The load was then diverted to Transformer No. 2 and supply was restored by 8 pm. However, within 30 minutes, a fresh fault hit the feeder supplying Transformer No. 2, resulting in a complete outage in Dadar, Maheshwari Udyan, Naigaon, Wadala East and nearby areas.

Officials said restoration work was being carried out on a “war footing.” The repeated outages come at a time when Mumbai’s electricity demand has crossed an all-time high of 4,500 MW this week due to continuous use of air conditioners amid rising temperatures. On Saturday, the city’s power demand touched 3,878 MW till 12.30 pm.

Earlier on May 14, nearly 3,000 consumers in Dadar, Sitladevi and Matunga Road areas faced prolonged outages after a cable fault at the Sitladevi Receiving Substation. Officials had then termed the city’s load condition as “critical” because of unusually high demand and feeder failures.

Mumbai: While refusing to grant relief to unauthorised structures in Garib Nagar, Bandra (East), the Bombay High Court has clarified that around 100 protected structures, identified in earlier surveys, will remain unaffected by the ongoing demolition drive being carried out by the Western Railway (WR) against unauthorised constructions.

A vacation bench of Justices Advait Sethna and Sandesh Patil passed the order on May 15 while hearing a petition filed by the Garib Nagar Rahiwasi Welfare Sangh Society.

Pursuant to an earlier HC order, the railways undertook a four-day drive and demolished over 90 per cent of the unauthorised structures while leaving the authorised structures untouched.

The court noted that its earlier order dated April 29 had already permitted the Railways to continue demolishing unauthorised and illegal structures, while directing that the interests of slum dwellers found eligible in surveys conducted on August 10 and 11, 2021, must be protected.

During the hearing, counsel for the Railways, Aayush Kedia, assured the court that nearly 100 protected structures would not be touched during the demolition exercise. The bench accepted the statement made on instructions from the Railways.

“The order (of April 29) is clear and self-explanatory,” the court observed, adding that the earlier order “categorically records” that the interests of slum dwellers found eligible in the two surveys “must be adequately protected”.

The court further said that any action beyond those protected structures must be taken only after following due process and in accordance with law. It also clarified that demolitions already undertaken or currently in progress against unauthorised structures would not be affected by the latest order.

The petitioners, represented by advocate Rajesh Khobragade, had alleged that despite the court’s earlier protection order, structures belonging to eligible Project Affected Persons (PAPs) were being demolished. The plea claimed that residents had been rendered homeless without following proper legal procedure.

The court has issued notice in the matter and directed the respondents to file their replies before the next hearing scheduled on June 16.

Mumbai: Skill development minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha will head a high-level committee to create awareness against drugs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The six-member committee will include the Commissioner of Police, collectors of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban, and two non-official members.

The formation of the panel comes in the backdrop of the Centre’s strict stance against drug menace. The committee will coordinate with various departments to prevent the cultivation of narcotic plants as well as the production, trade, transport, sale and consumption of drugs. It will also undertake awareness campaigns against drug abuse.

Meanwhile, thwarting a major drug smuggling bid connected to interstate racket, the NCB seized 702 kg of ganja worth ₹3 crore and arrested a duo, agency sources said on Friday.

Acting on specific inputs on Thursday, an NCB Mumbai team intercepted a truck in Gondia and its search led to the contraband’s recovery. Accused duo, Prakash MD & Padamlal NM, revealed that the drug was sourced from Odisha. “It also came to light that the consignment was meant for drug syndicates based in Nagpur, Gondia, Pune and Mumbai. It was noted that these syndicates collaborated for the transportation in single bulk consignment rather than separate shipments,” said an NCB official.

In a separate case being probed by the Kalyan police, a notorious criminal, who was externed from Mumbai and Thane, has been arrested in connection with the recent seizure of 9.7 kg of heroin worth ₹34.18 crore.

The police said that he is the kingpin of an interstate drug syndicate. Amjad Pathan, 47, has as many as 20 criminal cases, including murder, against him. After being externed from Mumbai and Thane, he allegedly shifted his narcotics base to Nashik.