Pune: Magarpatta City Residents Face Persistent Power Outage

Last night’s episode was particularly troubling. The power cut occurred at midnight, and resumed briefly at 1 am or so, only to fluctuate and go out again multiple times before finally cutting off at 3 am.

23 May 2024

By Ishika Kumar

Magarpatta City, Pune: Magarpatta City residents are grappling with persistent power outages overnight for a few days. This has disrupted their daily lives as the area has experienced electricity cuts starting as early as 3 am, causing significant inconvenience to the community.

In particular, residents of Daffodils and Cosmos societies are suffering recurrent night power cuts, and authorities struggle to provide solutions.

Last night’s episode was particularly troubling. The power cut occurred at midnight, and resumed briefly at 1 am or so, only to fluctuate and go out again multiple times before finally cutting off at 3 am. After that, electricity was not restored until 9 am, leaving residents frustrated, sweaty, restless and sleep-deprived. The duration of 6 hours can be a very long and painful time in a power cut, especially in the summer heat.

Unresponsive Helplines and Ineffective Complaint Systems

Efforts to address the issue through official channels have been largely unproductive. Residents report that calling the toll-free number provided by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL) yields little more than a complaint number. There are no specific helpline numbers for specific area-based issues, and many find that calls go unanswered or fail to resolve the problem as there is no conversation with a person but an automated response.

“Every time I call, I get a complaint number, but nothing changes. The helpline is essentially useless,” said a Magarpatta City resident from the Cosmos Society. She is aged and has almost given up on the issue due to being extremely troubled every single day as a routine exercise and has stopped beating herself about it. This sentiment is echoed by many in the community who feel abandoned by the authorities responsible for their electricity supply.

The Cause: Technical Issues, The Storm and Delays in Restoration

In an exclusive conversation with Akshay Jagtap, an engineer from MSEDCL, it was revealed to the Pune Pulse that the power outages are due to ongoing cable testing and repairs. “The jointing cover of the cables has become faulty due to a recent storm, where a fallen tree damaged the electrical line,” Jagtap explained. “This has caused disjunctions in the cable, leading to prolonged power outages. We are working to fix the issue, but the repairs are complex and time-consuming. Hence, the citizens need to be patient and wait till we resolve it.”

Jagtap assured that the repair work would be completed within the next 2 to 3 hours, but residents remain sceptical given the recurring nature of the outages and how frequently they have been happening over the week. The storm-induced damage has strained the already fragile infrastructure, highlighting a need for more robust preventive measures and quicker response systems in such societies, be it old or new.

Community’s Call for Action

The Magarpatta City community and local management have expressed their inability to address the problem independently, putting the onus squarely on MSEDCL that it is not being supplied by the source, and that is where the cuts are being generated from. However, without efficient communication channels and timely interventions, the residents’ patience is wearing thin.

“We need a reliable solution and better communication from MSEDCL. This can’t go on,” said another resident. The frequent disruptions have not only caused inconvenience but also posed safety concerns, especially for those who rely on electrical devices for health reasons.

As the area waits for a resolution, Residents are calling for more proactive measures from MSEDCL to prevent such disruptions in the future and ensure a more reliable power supply. While immediate repairs might bring temporary relief, the community seeks long-term action to avoid recurring outages and better crisis management from the authorities.

With the residents bearing the brunt of these outages, it is imperative for MSEDCL to not only address the immediate technical faults but also to establish more efficient communication and preventive measures to restore confidence and stability in the power supply system.