No power in Diva village near Mumbai for 48 hours

According to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, a fire broke out in the transformer of the power company due to severe load on the transformer

Sabe village in Diva has plunged into darkness. More than 5,000 residents of this village have been without power from Wednesday.

MSEDCL officials claimed that the power thefts in the area are the root cause of the problem. (HT FILE)

According to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), a fire broke out in the transformer of the power company due to severe load on the transformer. The load increased due to constant power thefts. The repair work on the transformer was on at the time of going to press.

MSEDCL officials claimed that the power thefts in the area are the root cause of the problem.

An official requesting anonymity said, “There are heavy power thefts in the area. People often steal power from MSEDCL lines or directly from the transformers by hooking wires on them. We are in the process of replacing the transformers. The supply will be resumed by Thursday night.”

A resident on condition of anonymity said, “The population of this village is rapidly increasing and so is the load on the transformer. However, the MSEDCL has not taken any step to increase the capacity of its transformers. This leads to irregular power supply in Diva throughout the year. When we try to contact MSEDCL officials, their phones are unreachable or not answered.”