Power cuts rise in Mulund, coinciding with heatwave
RESIDENTS TRIED COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POWER CUTS, BUT TO NO AVAIL
MUMBAI: Mulund residents have been enduring frequent power cuts this summer, which have increased over the last one week, coinciding with the rise in temperatures. Residents attributed the power cuts to load shedding, but MSEDCL, the sole electricity provider in Mulund, said there was no shortage of energy and the power cuts were due to technical fault.
On Monday, several areas of Mulund including Amar Nagar, Mulund Colony, Valji Ladha Road, Dr Ambedkar Road, Kasturba Road and RP Road faced power cuts for several hours. Complaints persisted on Tuesday too, from areas near the station, PK Road and Moti Nagar.
“My family was eating lunch at 1pm on Monday when the power went off. It came back only two hours later,” said Sonu Singh, a resident of Mulund Colony. “Living by the hills helps, but it was so hot, it felt like a furnace.” At night too, there were frequent, short power cuts i n Mulund Colony between 12:30am and 1:30am, said Singh.
Subramaniam Iyer, a resident of Highland Park which comprises 17 buildings with around 500 flats, said on Monday, there was no electricity in his neighbourhood from 11pm to 2:30am. He also complained about short, intermittent power cuts on April 9, between 10:30pm and 1:30am. “The reason given was faults in the cable while digging, but how does that happen in the night,” he wondered.
Iyer tried complaining about the intermittent power cuts, but to no avail. While the helpline number was either busy or unavailable, several complaints lodged online were marked as resolved saying ‘supply restored’. Singh’s complaints on social media platform X elicited bot replies.
Residents from other parts of Mulund, which have faced power cuts for several years, said they were concerned for the safety of their appliances owing to fluctuations in voltage. “Some parts like Amar Nagar have frequent power cuts, while others have random issues, going on for some years now,” said an activist.