Ongoing digging work in various parts of the city has escalated into a significant inconvenience for citizens, causing disruptions in power supply due to damaged cables. The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation Ltd (MSEDCL) has reported a total of 14 such incidents in Pune over the past two weeks.
The breakdown of a 22 KV power line during the digging process results in simultaneous power outages affecting thousands of customers. In response, the dedicated engineers and staff of MSEDCL are tirelessly working to rectify the situation, facing challenges on the field.
MSEDCL officials have blamed Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) excavation work. Within a mere 15 days of MNGL's excavation work, eight locations experienced damage to underground power lines, leaving around 40,000 customers without electricity. The reconnection of these power lines incurred a cost of approximately Rs 4.50 lakh for MSEDCL. Moreover, due to the power line damage, MSEDCL suffered a loss of about 12 lakh units, equivalent to roughly Rs 1.20 crore.
In response to these incidents, MSEDCL officials have filed a police complaint against MNGL. Additionally, MSEDCL also faced losses due to power line damage during road widening projects undertaken by the National Highway Authority (NHAI) at various locations.
The failure to relocate power lines during road widening projects resulted in the burial of MSWDCL's 22 KV feeder road cross at heights ranging from 15 to 20 feet. MSEDCL officials emphasized the critical and time-consuming nature of repairing these power lines in the event of damage during the projects.
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