Unabated power outages force Pune residents to question MSEDCL's monsoon preparedness

Time of India

5 days ago

Pune: Residents from various parts of the city, including Bhugaon, Wakad, Deccan Gymkhana and Undri, have been facing frequent power outages, forcing them to question MSEDCL's monsoon preparedness.
Prashant Kondel, a resident of Bhugaon, told TOI that if the 24-hour power outage on Sunday wasn't enough, the power went off early morning on Thursday as well. "On Thursday, the power came back only by 12 noon. We have been facing severe problems because of power outages. Each monsoon, all authorities, be it PMC or MSEDCL, claim that they are ready and people won't face any issues. In reality, exactly the opposite happens.
We, despite paying all taxes and bills, keep suffering," he said.
Asha Pradhan, a Wakad resident who works in an international call centre, said, "After the night shift, I need to sleep in the morning so that I can be ready for the next day's job. However, the power situation is so pathetic that I cannot do so. Whenever one sends MSEDCL a message on social media, they have the same automated reply. Then, the numbers floated by them to make complaints don't work many times.
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I never thought that in a city like Pune, I would have to consider buying an inverter," she said.
A similar woe was faced by residents of Mahalunge where they witnessed 24-hour long power outage. Tushar Pathare, a resident of Mahalunge, said the area lost power at about 8pm on Wednesday and it was restored around 8pm on Thursday. "The staff from the MSEDCL were here and trying to restore it, but it was difficult. There is an urgent need for a substation for this area as the population in the area has increased manifold.
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Sanjeet Waghle, another resident of Mahalunge, said, "Since midnight, there is no power in many places in the area. I sent MSEDCL a message on X and got their standard reply that they deeply regretted the situation. There has been no update, however, and no power too. How are we going to live like this? Before monsoons, they just dig up different roads in the name of laying cables, but the situation remains the same. There is no accountability, and no one says or does anything," he said.
Pavanjeet Mane, a software engineer from Hinjewadi Phase 2, said, "Even in Hinjewadi Phase 2, there were power outages since Wednesday night that continued till Thursday."
Vikas Puri, the public relations officer of Pune MSEDCL, told TOI that the issues would subside soon. "At the beginning of the monsoon season, lightning strikes cause disruptions in the power system. As water accumulates at many places, it affects feeder pillars which in turn cause outages.
We have been working round-the-clock to ensure that the disruptions are controlled and power is restored. Road digging work by other agencies is another challenge.
It leads to snapping of cables and moisture accumulating in cables. It leads to outages too," he said.
Similar situations prevail in posh areas like Deccan Gymkhana too. "There have been frequent power failures in the area for the last five days. Complaints have been raised, but the issue has not been resolved," Vikram W Karve wrote on X a few days ago.
On Thursday, he again posted on X, "Frequent electricity power failures throughout the day continue in the Deccan Gymkhana area. There was a time when the area was considered a posh locality and had an uninterrupted electricity power supply."
Shantanu Panda, too, vented his frustration on social media. "There is no electricity in the Wakad area since 6.30am. It has been more than 10 hours without electricity and without any notification," he said on X.
Manisha Sharma, who lives on NIBM Road, told TOI that power cuts were frequent during night and early morning hours. "The children cannot sleep, and we too cannot rest. The power just goes off for hours. We have to shut down the windows as there is a mosquito menace. A mosquito bite can cause dengue in this kind of weather. If we close windows, it makes inside of the homes hotter. What has MSEDCL done towards monsoon preparedness?" she said.