BEST billing outlets cut short working hours

On account of Ganpati immersions on Saturday, paying your Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) power bills at the billing outlets of the undertaking will be difficult, as most of the outlets will remain open only till 11.30am.

BEST, in a statement issued on Friday, said: “Due to the Ganesha immersion on Saturday, evening shift electricity bill collection centres and mobile collection vans will remain closed.”

However, the two power bill collection centres at Wadala and Colaba bus depots will remain open, the statement added.

This arrangement has been ostensibly made to facilitate festive celebrations of the undertaking’s employees,
BEST officials said. Since the undertaking has been historically engaged in facilitating the festival celebrations for Mumbaikars, it wants it extended to its employees too.

Recently, in a special booklet prepared for housing complexes and societies celebrating the festival and in need of special electric supply or bus services, apart from emergency response systems, the undertaking had listed nine customer care offices from wards A to G-North. Also, at least 20 additional bus services have been promised.

According to BEST officials, Ganesha mandals organising religious programmes, heavy lighting and other related arrangements will increase the requirements of additional electricity, even if temporarily. BEST supplies power to nearly 10 lakh consumers in South and central Mumbai.