Heavy unseasonal rains lash Mumbai and satellite cities
Mumbai (PTI): Heavy unseasonal rains lashed Mumbai and satellite cities on Tuesday morning, bringing down the temperature.
Officials said transport services like local trains and buses have remained unaffected.
Satellite cities like Thane, Mira-Bhayander, and Vasai-Virar too received a spell of heavy showers in the morning.
The India Meteorological Department attributed the westerly wind and moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea as the reason behind the spell.
It is unusual for Mumbai to witness rains in March.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that some parts of Mumbai city and suburbs have recorded up to 20-25 mm of rain between 7 am and 8 am.
In the island city, Central Mumbai areas like Mondavi fire station, Memonwada fire station, Byculla fire station, and BMC headquarters reported 28 mm, 25 mm, 23 mm and 19 mm rainfall, respectively.
Eastern suburbs like Mulund, Gavanpada, and Bhandup Complex recorded 20 mm and 19 mm rainfall respectively between 6 am to 7 am. In the Western suburbs, Dahisar fire station and Chincholi fire station reported 18 mm and 14 mm rainfall, respectively.
Authorities said public transport services like railways and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) remained unaffected.
The civic body said the BEST bus operations are normal, and nowhere in the city, bus routes were changed due to rain or waterlogging.
Railway authorities said train services in the city on all three suburban corridors- main line, harbour line and western line- were running normally.
"Heavy rain was reported in various sections of the Mumbai division, but trains are running smoothly," Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer of Central Railway said.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
