Thousands of residents of Siddharth Colony in Chembur were left to struggle at the peak of summer after Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) disconnected their supply over pending dues on Friday. The company said it took the action after waiting for over 45 days. Though the outstanding amount is over R102 crore, it reached a deal with the residents for the payment of dues from June 2019 onwards. More than 3,500 residents, who were without power for nine hours, said the AEML is acting inhumanely by disconnecting supply in the blistering heat, though they are paying the bills.

Since 2005

Siddharth Colony has been battling the issue of non-payment of electricity bills since 2005. According to AEML, most of the 3,524 consumers are not paying the bills. The residents said the outstanding bill will be paid by the redeveloper who has agreed to do so. To end the deadlock, AEML and residents met on February 25 and agreed that paying outstanding dues from June 2019 onwards will be done first, and previous bills can be discussed later.