Pune: 15-Hour Power Outage Leaves Baner-Balewadi Residents Without Electricity, Water
Pune, July 5, 2026: Residents of Pune’s Baner and Balewadi areas faced severe inconvenience after prolonged power outages lasting up to 15 hours, disrupting daily life, water supply, internet connectivity, and work-from-home operations. Citizens have blamed repeated electricity failures and poor response from Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), popularly known as Mahavitaran.
In Balewadi, electricity supply remained disrupted for nearly 15 hours after power went out in the early hours of Friday in the Samarth Lane area. Residents said they repeatedly lodged complaints through Mahavitaran’s online portal and attempted to contact officials over the phone but received no response, leaving them uncertain about when power would be restored.
The situation worsened as a major fault in the Chandani Chowk water pipeline had already disrupted water supply for three days. With both electricity and water unavailable, residents said they were left struggling to manage basic household needs.
In Baner, power supply was interrupted around 1:30 am on Saturday and was restored only after nearly 12 hours. Residents expressed frustration, pointing out that power cuts were frequent during summer due to increased demand, and now similar disruptions continue even during the monsoon whenever it rains.
The prolonged outage particularly affected children, senior citizens, and patients. Elevators in several residential societies stopped functioning, while inverters and generators ran out of backup power, forcing many families to remain without electricity for hours.
Residents stated that the outage brought household activities to a standstill. They added that Class 10 students missed their online classes, while some elderly patients dependent on medical support had to be shifted elsewhere after backup batteries were exhausted.
Residents also alleged that Mahavitaran’s online complaint system fails to address complaints promptly and does not provide timely updates on restoration schedules, adding to public inconvenience.
Responding to the criticism, Mahavitaran said continuous rainfall causes moisture to accumulate in transformers, leading to power disruptions. He added that if faults occur late at night, delays may arise due to the limited availability of manpower. However, he said the utility’s teams are working round the clock to restore electricity and minimise inconvenience to consumers.
