Power co restores supply to Kandivli dispensary despite unpaid dues

The Sambhaji Nagar civic dispensary at Kandivli East has been out of power for over a month and half

After mid-day's report on April 23 about how BMC cut power to its own dispensary in Kandivli, the power supply company - Adani has come forward to restore power despite pending dues. According to an Adani official, the power connection was restored on humanitarian grounds.

The electricity provider had cut off connection to BMC's Sambhaji Nagar dispensary on March 12. The dispensary serves people from the nearby slums of Damu Nagar, Narsi Pada and Hanuman Nagar. At least 150-200 people visit the dispensary daily.

"There is a technical issue. The dispensary was handed over to the health department but the earlier electricity bill was not cleared and the maintenance department refused to pay the bill," said Surekha Patil, corporator of Lokhandwala, Kandivli.

Despite discontinuing the supply, the dispensary was functioning, thanks to the nearby Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building that has been providing power to the medical room. But, the residents feared action for providing supply, which is against the rules. However, after this paper's report, the electricity company stepped in and restored supply.

"We are working on it, but the entire process has got delayed due to the lockdown. But now the connection has been restored," said Vishwas Shankarwar, deputy municipal commissioner. An Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited spokesperson said, "The electricity supply was cut off due to non-payment of dues as per the MERC guidelines. But later we got to know that almost 200 people from surrounding areas visit's the dispensary so we immediately restored the supply on humanitarian grounds."

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