Discounting the claims of cyber attack as reason for major power crisis in Mumbai city during last year, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that it was more due to technical incapability of electricity officials. On October 12, 2020, all the four lines that supplies electricity to capital city had tripped leading to power outage ranging from four to eight hours bringing Mumbai to standstill. To make matters worse, in event of supply from outside Mumbai facing problem, Mumbai's system isolates to protect to island from tripping. But islanding failed to work that day triggering panic in the commercial capital sending ripples across the nation. Bawankule on Tuesday addressed a press conference in city to counter the claim made by State's Home Minister Anil Deshmukh pointing to suspect cyber attack as one of the reason for tripping in Mumbai city.

 

The claims are outlandish and sans any conclusive proof, the former Energy Minister said and pointed fingers at current Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut, blaming him for not handling the Ministry properly. On eve of Budget session such claims from Minister without having any proof of involvement of any foreign agency or any corroboration from Union Government is an attempt to run away from responsibility.

 

The former Minister said he knows the working of power supply system to Mumbai and said two lines were already down two days prior to enmass tripping. Had fault on those two lines rectified in time, then the October 12 fiasco could have been avoided. And this points to internal failure of MSEDCL and claimed that cyber attack cannot break the circuits on the third that also tripped due to overload. And as load now shifted on Kalwa line, the only one active now, the operator manually switched that off as it was overheating. Now how does this system failure has to do with cyber attack and what's the proof about it, Bawankule asked further. Further in case police probe came across any foreign hand or cyber attack, was the information shared with Union Government and their help taken to pin down the actual culprits?

 

Since Maharashtra Government has failed to keep its promise of providing free consumption upto 100 units, the claims of cyber attack have been raked-up. For islanding to work properly, four power stations have to keep working, including two of hydro. But that day only Dhanu's power station was working and it could not top-up the major shortfall that occurred due to tripping of four lines on October 12. The Energy Department need to ensure that in future there is no recurrence of such major power tripping.

 

 

Maharashtra’s Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday felt that one should not politicise the issue of cyber attack on Indian power system. Reacting to claims from Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Home Minister said he had never claimed that cyber criminals had targeted power network of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL). He was responding to querries from newspersons at Mumbai on sidelines of ongoing budget session of Maharashtra legislature.

 

Deshmukh said as per report from Mumbai police, the cyber attackers had tried to target substantial power system in North and Southern India. The report was also shared with Union Power Minister R K Singh and it was agreed that all agencies need to increase vigilance and foil any such attempts in future. He also said Bawankule should put national interest above the politics and avoid any controversy on the issue. Deshmukh also took to twitter to further take on Bawankule and said the October 12 blackout in Mumbai is a technical issue and same needs to be seen in that context.