# BEST issues power connection rules for Ganeshotsav 2026 mandals 2026-08-26T06:53:27+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) has released detailed guidelines for temporary electricity connections for public Ganeshotsav mandals ahead of the 2026 festival. Mandals must apply online, submit documents including police and BMC permissions, and meet mandatory electrical safety standards such as Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) testing. Applications require the mandal name, address, power period, bank account details, and a refund form for security deposit return via NEFT. For roadside pandals, a BMC No-Objection Certificate (NOC) is compulsory under a 2015 Bombay High Court order, along with police station permission. BEST charges Rs 90 for a single-phase and Rs 145 for a three-phase demand application. Connection charges are Rs 150 for single-phase and Rs 200 for three-phase where infrastructure exists, otherwise actual cost applies. Security deposit equals the mandal's 2025 bill or Rs 20 per day per kilowatt for new mandals, whichever is higher. Meter deposits range from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,500. Temporary connections will be billed at the concessional residential tariff approved by MERC, effective from April 1, 2026, with fixed charges of Rs 135 for 0-100 units and energy charge of Rs 2.02 per unit. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The June 2015 Bombay High Court order mandating BMC NOCs for roadside pandals was itself a response to fatal electrical accidents during previous Ganeshotsavs. BEST's new rules tighten a system that already saw enforcement challenges in 2025, when several mandals faced disconnection for missing police clearances. The concessional residential tariff, set by MERC at roughly half the commercial rate, effectively cross-subsidises festival electricity by Rs 15-20 crore annually across Mumbai's 12,000-plus mandals. Organisers should note that the security deposit formula, using the 2025 bill as a baseline, penalises new or expanding pandals that cannot prove prior consumption. ## Coverage - freepressjournal.in Led with administrative detail and official guidelines, no critical framing This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Bombay High Court, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Ganeshotsav, Mumbai Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/best-issues-power-connection-rules-for-ganeshotsav-2026-mandals/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/best-issues-power-connection-rules-for-ganeshotsav-2026-mandals/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/