Sabotage suspected in Mumbai power outage: Maha Min

Maharashtra energy minister Nitin Raut on Wednesday said a possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out in the massive power outage in Mumbai and neighbouring areas two days back.

Talking to reporters, Raut said the power breakdown in the metropolis and neighbouring Thane and Navi Mumbai on Monday was "not a small issue".

"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," he said.

"This is the reason that possibility of sabotage is suspected," Raut said.

A technical team from the Centre is in Mumbai to discuss the power failure issue, he said, adding that "our inquiry committee will also be set up."

The central technical team will submit its report in a week, he said.

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.

Taking serious cognisance of a massive power outage in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had ordered an immediate probe.

A grid failure resulted in massive power outage in Mumbai and neighbouring areas on Monday, stopping trains on tracks, hampering those working from home and hitting the stuttering economic activity hard.

It took two hours for the power supply to resume for essential services on Monday, following which other pockets started getting power in a phase-wise manner.

In June 2018, there was a widespread power outage in the city and adjoining areas due to a technical glitch and also led to sustained period of load-shedding for some consumers.