Mumbai: A fire broke out at an imitation jewellery shop in Bhuleshwar in south Mumbai early on Thursday, leading to commotion in the congested locality.Fire brigade personnel and BEST department officials rushed to the spot and firefighting operations were underway. Fire engines remained stationed at the site as efforts continued to bring the blaze under control. The blaze was extinguished at 11.08 am.BEST authorities are probing whether a short circuit triggered the blaze.Residents have long complained about the region’s deteriorating electrical infrastructure. With cables dating back to the 1950s and a high concentration of commercial consumers, the heavily populated area frequently suffers from power outages, voltage sparks and severe network overloading. “Temporary connections provided after power cuts often lead to line overloads, causing vintage wires to catch fire,” a senior BEST official from the power supply division stated.To permanently resolve the crisis, BEST is planning a major Rs 200-crore revamp project to overhaul and replace the antiquated underground cables across Bhuleshwar. While official tenders have already been floated for the comprehensive replacement drive, sources confirm that the execution and complete rollout could take up to two years.
