For the third day in succession, there was power failure in Mumbai, with Mumbadevi, Bhuleshwar, and Shivaji Park being affected.

Demand in the city soared to a whopping 3,800MW on Thursday, from the usual 3,200-3,300 MW in summer.

Those parts of Mumbai serviced by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) experienced outages at different times of the day, chiefly due to technical failures. In the morning, there were 15- to 20-minute disruptions in service in Shivaji Park, Dadar.

Cable and feeder faults resulted in these minor power cuts, sources said. In the evening the power cuts were for longer periods. Power tripped around 6.10pm, affecting Bhuleshwar, Mumbadevi, Marine Lines etc.

Manoj Varade, BEST spokesperson said: “Due to feeder fault in an underground cable, off supply ensued in Mumbadevi from 6pm. Our engineers and technicians were at the site to restore supply.” By around 8pm, except for two feeders, supply had been restored in most of the areas; however, 25 per cent of the supply had yet to be restored. Sources said that they found damaged cables at these locations with metro work underway in the vicinity.

Power expert Ashok Pendse said that the demand for electricity in Mumbai touched 3,800MW on Thursday, owing to the heat and the incidents appeared to be local issues. Mumbaikars pay 25-35 paise per unit as stand-by charges, as assurance for 24x7 electric supply.

(With inputs from agencies)