Mumbai unplugged: Power cuts planned for the city

MUMBAI:  Just a day after the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) said that the state-wide load-shedding will not affect the city, DNA has learnt that power officials have prepared a load-shedding plan for the metropolis.

The plan, which has been approved by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), clearly specifies the number of hours of load-shedding in each area of the western and eastern suburbs of the city. It will have to be implemented by Reliance Energy Limited, Tata Power Corporation and BEST, the primary supplier to the island city.

Power cuts are inevitable: Mahavitaran, the distribution arm of the MSEB, has already started load-shedding in areas like Titwala, Kalyan, Ambernath, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Thane, Bhandup, Belapur, Borivli and Vasai, lasting up to five hours. It is a small mercy that the cuts are distributed across the day.

“We have no other choice but to opt for power cuts. To avoid fluctuations and avoid calamity we are undertaking load-shedding,” says Ram Dotonde, Public Relations Officer of the MSEB. The rural areas around the city, like Neral, are worse off, with power cuts lasting up to 12 hours.

Powerless Mumbai:Demand 2,725 MW, supply 2,500 MW

Load shedding schedule: Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Thane Bhandup, Borivali, Belapur, Vasai: 45 mins - 5 hrs.

Chembur, Govandi, Thane, Goregaon, Bandra, Santa Cruz, Malad, Kandivali: 30 mins - 2 hrs

Colaba, Marine Lines, Mahalaxmi, Byculla, King’s Circle, Parel: 30 mins - 1 hr