Mumbai: Over one lakh complaints are pending with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply Transport (BEST) power supply division made by people from Dadar to Parel who want new connections after the process was completely shifted to online. BEST committee members have said that the shift to online has caused problems for slum dwellers, who have no access to the Internet. Ironically, the system was brought in to benefit these very same slum dwellers who keep shifting addresses.
Committee member Ravi Raja has asked that the undertaking run a parallel system like it did earlier where one can apply for an online connection on paper as slum dwellers do not have the requisite tools to apply online. “We have been getting complaints from slum dwellers, who shift from one settlement to the other, that they have been sent back by our centres when they go to apply for a new electricity connection saying they should apply for the same online. How can a slum dweller have the know-how to do this? And why have our offline applications been taken down?” he said.
BEST general manager Surendakumar Bagde said, “We did not know this problem has occurred so we will provide an ad hoc system for now and ease the problem. We had made the system this way as there is a lot of paperwork in changing addresses or for a new connection and some times, it is hard to locate previous paperwork of this individual.” He added they would provide counters to better facilitate the shift to online.
