Second power outage in four days staggers Mumbai

If further evidence was needed of the helplessness of civic authorities to cope with the soaring power demand in India's commercial capital of Mumbai, it was provided on Sunday, when for the second time in less than four days, the city suffered an evening power breakdown that left residential enclaves and hospitals gasping.

Fortuitously it happened on a Sunday, so the functioning of commercial establishments and offices, including Mantralaya, was not affected even though they were plunged into darkness between 5.15 and 6.45 pm.

The tripping in the main transmission line between Tata Power Co's plants in Trombay and Dharavi receiving stations is reported as the chief reason for the collapse.

Commuters on the central and harbour line were stuck in trains for over 15 minutes. There were reports of people trapped in lifts for over half an hour. South Mumbai, which is supposed to be islanded from any major failures, witnessed an unprecedented power cut after almost 10 years.

However, the breakdown spared major parts of the western suburbs that had faced a blackout on Thursday. Power was restored after an agonizing 90 minutes.

The areas that were affected, either fully or partially, included Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Backbay Reclamation, Cuffe Parade, Colaba, Lower Parel, Mahalaxmi, Bombay Central, Chinchpokli, Lalbaug, Dadar, Kings Circle, Mahim, Matunga, Sion and Dharavi. Beyond south Mumbai, parts of Bandra, Khar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Chunabhatti, Kurla, Chembur and Mankhurd were in the dark for over an hour. However, some pockets where consumers get power from other TPC lines were not affected.