A 24-hour power outage hit 128 homes in La Salette society in Magarpatta after digging by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for a drainage line damaged an underground electricity cable. The disruption began at 3pm on Thursday and was not fully restored until Friday evening.
Cause of the Power Cut
Mahesh Gowari, assistant engineer at Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), confirmed that the digging work by PMC for laying drainage pipes caused damage to the electricity cable. MSEDCL managed to repair the damaged cable by 3am on Friday, but the supply failed again due to ongoing digging. Pramod Lakdhake, the contractor working for PMC, noted that the cable was not buried deep enough and, in some places, was not running through the designated area.
Residents' Ordeal
Affected residents expressed frustration over the prolonged outage. Namrata Rathod said her family spent nearly Rs9,000 on diesel generators. She lamented the blame game between MSEDCL and PMC, stating that citizens suffer the consequences. Santosh Paudwal reported that the society has faced regular power cuts for the past six months, but this 24-hour outage was particularly severe, affecting children, senior citizens, and those working from home. Komal Taldar, a resident with a two-year-old baby, said no one could sleep through the night. Another resident highlighted the plight of his bedridden father, who had undergone critical surgery and depends on medical assistance; inverters stopped working after a few hours.
Wider Impact
The problem extends beyond La Salette. Two other housing complexes in the area, including Kumar Paradise with over 100 flats, experienced similar issues. Jayanti Jadhav from Kumar Paradise said that while their power cuts are usually two to three hours daily, they also had no electricity on Thursday night and Friday morning, though the severity was less than in La Salette.
Ongoing Concerns
Residents have verbally complained to MSEDCL and PMC, but fear the disruptions will continue until the digging is complete. The incident highlights the challenges of infrastructure work in urban areas, where coordination between agencies is crucial to minimize public inconvenience.
