India, May 16 -- An ageing power cable network, rising power demand, unprecedented summer heat and rapid real-estate expansion has begun to take a toll. It's causing frequent power outages and outages in localities where there used to be none - a warning that local fixes and temporary solutions will not hold for long.

Residents of Dadar, Sion, Wadala, Matunga, Borivali and Vile Parle will vouch for this. They experienced power outages, whose duration ranges from 10 minutes to 10 hours in the last fortnight as temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius.

Residents, traders hit hard

For businesses and residents in Dadar, the timing could not have been worse. On May 14, 3,000 consumers of BEST, that is, residents and shopkeepers in Dadar an...