In the midst of extensive road widening projects for metro and flyovers in the Ganeshkhind and Shivajinagar areas of Pune, a pressing issue has come to light. Over the past three weeks, excavation work carried out with JCB machinery inadvertently severed a total of 36 underground power lines owned by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), the local power distribution company. This unfortunate incident has caused significant inconvenience for approximately 19,000 electricity consumers in areas including Sadashiv Peth, Narayan Peth, Shivajinagar, and Ganeshkhind.
The power supply interruptions have resulted in considerable challenges, leading to a financial loss of around 17 lakh 16 thousand rupees in electricity sales for MSEDCL. Meanwhile, affected electricity consumers are grappling with the consequences of these disruptions.
The impacted areas encompass Sadashiv Peth, Narayan Peth, Lakshmi Road, Model Colony, Range Hills Road, ICS Colony, Bhosale Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Sakhar Sankul, Wakdewadi, FC Road, Ganeshkhind Road, Shivaji Nagar Railway Station area, Shimla Office, Hardikar Hospital, Akashvani, and Kasarwadi. These regions are supplied electricity through underground power lines extending from Sancheti Hospital to University Road, serving around 19,000 customers.
Despite MSEDCL’s prior requests for the relocation of these underground power lines to accommodate the road widening, construction activities have been carried out directly above these lines. This disregard for relocation requests has led to recurrent damage to the power lines during excavation, causing extensive disruptions to the power supply.
A significant concern is the increasing difficulty of repairing these damaged power lines since they are buried beneath the road’s surface. Given the continuous flow of traffic and the challenges associated with providing an alternative power supply, resolving these issues is expected to be protracted. As a result, this situation adversely affects not only electricity consumers but also MSEDCL itself.
The road widening efforts have thus far focused solely on the relocation of the ground power system’s feeder pillar, while the excavation work proceeds with the underground channels in place. These damaged channels are being temporarily connected, forcing them to endure the pressure from the road’s construction machinery. This persistent strain on the power lines beneath the road’s surface poses a significant threat to the stability of power supply in the Ganeshkhind, Shivaji Nagar, Sadashiv Peth, Narayan Peth, and Lakshmi Road areas.
To address these issues, MSEDCL engineers and employees are working diligently to repair the damaged power lines and ensure alternative power supply when needed. However, the ongoing disruptions in power supply are causing delays and inconveniences, with certain areas enduring interruptions lasting two to three hours.
