Mumbai: Recurring power outages across the island city over the last month triggered a heated discussion in the Maharashtra assembly on Tuesday, with several legislators expressing concern over the inconvenience caused to residents and questioning the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking’s (BEST’s) ability to address the crisis.Mumbai, Jan 11 (ANI): Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar speaks to the media on his verdict on Maharashtra MLAs, in Mumbai on Thursday. (ANI Photo) (ANI)Taking serious note of the issue, assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar said he would convene a meeting on Wednesday with BEST general manager Sonia Sethi, municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide, senior officials from the urban development and power departments, and legislators to review the situation.Narwekar also issued a stern warning that if the meeting fails to produce a satisfactory resolution, the BEST general manager would be summoned to the Maharashtra assembly to address legislators’ concerns on record.This is the first time Narwekar has issued such strong strictures against BEST, the public body responsible for Mumbai’s bus transport and electricity distribution system. His remarks came after the issue of power outages was raised by several legislators, including the Congress’s Amin Patel, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s R Tamil Selvan, and the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Ajay Choudhari. Areas like Dadar Parsi Colony, Mohammad Ali Road, Mumbadevi, Girgaon, and Kings Circle have experienced persistent blackouts lasting several hours over the last month.Responding to the debate, minister of state for urban development Madhuri Misal attributed the frequent tripping of the electricity supply to excessive power demand that had overloaded BEST’s distribution network. Her explanation, however, failed to satisfy either legislators or the speaker.An incensed Patel even threatened to begin a hunger strike at the entrance of the state legislature if the issue is not resolved. “There has been a complete breakdown in the system, with power outages lasting anywhere from 12 hours to three days in parts of south Mumbai. This reflects a serious failure on the part of BEST. Are we living in a village or in a metropolitan city?” he said.Patel also alleged that there had been no recruitment in BEST’s electricity supply department for years, reducing the workforce by nearly half and leaving around 5,000 posts vacant. He further claimed that the undertaking was effectively bankrupt and lacked the financial capacity to procure essential equipment, vehicles and manpower.In response, Misal said that the city has recorded exceptionally high maximum temperatures this year, the highest in the past 57 years. She noted that electricity demand had risen from 907 MW to 1,010 MW in 2025, overloading the existing distribution network and leading to tripping incidents.“To address the situation, overhead cable installations are being carried out on a temporary basis. In addition, there is a need for one more sub-station. BEST has identified three potential locations and is actively pursuing the matter. BEST has also made a provision of ₹20 crore for this purpose,” Misal told the House. She also said that BEST has hired 150 employees and that recruitment for another 719 posts is underway to address staff shortages.Narwekar, however, said attributing the outages solely to overloading was not an adequate explanation. “Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and one of its most modern cities. Yet, if parts of the city are facing power outages lasting 12 hours to three days, it is deeply regrettable and unacceptable,” he said.The speaker said BEST and the BMC should have anticipated the impact of rising temperatures and climate change on the city’s electricity network and strengthened infrastructure accordingly. “It appears they have failed to plan for these challenges or upgrade the system in time,” he said.He also questioned BEST’s grievance redressal mechanism. “I want to know how much time is required to restore power once an outage complaint is registered. Consumers report that call centre staff often do not answer calls and, at times, keep lines engaged, making it difficult even to register complaints. This reflects a complete failure of the grievance redressal mechanism,” he said.“This year’s performance has been nothing short of a disaster. What concrete measures are you taking to ensure citizens do not face a repeat of this situation next year?” Narwekar added, before announcing Wednesday’s review meeting.