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Aundh, Baner, Balewadi residents face frequent power cut due to infra works
Residents of Aundh, Baner and Balewadi face frequent power cut due to Smart City and Pune Metro infra works
PUNE: Not only had the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) chosen the Aundh, Baner and Balewadi (ABB) areas for implementation of the Smart City project in 2016, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (PMRDA) work on the Pune metro line 3 from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar – which passes through these areas – is also still going on. Work on the Smart City project and on the Pune metro line 3 has damaged underground electric cables at 32 locations in the past three months, according to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL). As a result, around 40,000 consumers in these areas are facing frequent power disconnection.
Machhindra Kanmant, who stays in Aundh, said, “We are facing power cuts on a regular basis for more than one month now. Nearly three to four times every week, power gets disconnected in our area. Earlier, we used to get an SMS in advance from the MSEDCL about the power cuts. Now, power suddenly disconnects and restores only after one or two hours.”
Sudarshan Jagdale, an office-bearer of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Baner-Balewadi area, said, “It is ironic that residents of the ABB areas are facing problems with basic amenities such as power because of the work on the smart city project. The generator expense has increased in residential societies because of frequent power cuts.”
Nishikant Raut, public relations officer (PRO) of the Pune Circle of MSEDCL, said, “Over the past three months, incidents of power cuts have occurred at 32 locations in Baner, Balewadi and Aundh. Currently, there is metro construction and smart city work taking place in Baner-Balewadi due to which there is extensive excavation in these areas. Unfortunately, the excavation work is leading to accidental disruption of underground power lines maintained by the MSEDCL. The MSEDCL’s 22 KV power lines are buried 15 feet beneath the concrete road. This raises concern over potential damage and the subsequent challenge of repairing such intricate underground power networks.”
While engineers and staff members of the MSEDCL have been working round-the-clock to contain the fallout of accidental damage to underground electric cables, power cuts of two to three hours have become a recurrent challenge in some areas.
Sumit Yadav, junior engineer, PMRDA, said, “We are taking care of the underground electric cables during the metro work. We are shifting the underground cables. MSEDCL should give in writing that we are responsible for the frequent power cuts.” Chief knowledge officer of the PSCDCL, Dinesh Virkar, could not be reached for comment.
