Maharashtra energy minister Nitin Raut has said on Wednesday that the possibility of sabotage can’t be ruled out in the power outage incident in Mumbai on October 12. While speaking to reporters the minister retorted that the power breakdown in the metropolis and neighbouring Thane and Navi Mumbai was “not a small issue”.
On Monday, a grid failure had resulted in massive power outages in Mumbai and adjourns parts of the city stopping trains on tracks, hampering those working from home, and hitting the stuttering economic activity hard. The outages were attributed to tripping at a sub-station of state-run transmission company MSETCL.
Reportedly, the power supply took two hours to resume for essential services; other pockets started getting power in a phase-wise manner.
“Our team was working on the 400 KV Kalva-Padga line and the load was shifted from circuit 1 to 2. But, there was a technical problem and the Kharghar unit stopped. There was islanding in Mumbai which shouldn’t have happened. This is the reason that possibility of sabotage is suspected,” cited Raut.
He further continued that a technical team from the Centre is here to discuss the power failure issue, and “our inquiry committee will also be set up.”
According to the press release, the central technical team will submit its report in a week meanwhile the minister said they will also discuss the study report submitted by a probe committee which went into such incidents in 2011, and whether an ATR (action taken report) was prepared. He also said that a system audit is being prepared.
Mumbai had last witnessed a massive power outage in June 2018.
