Pune: 400KV Powerline Project Sparks Fresh Tension Among Purandar Farmers
Reported by Shoaib Tadvi
Jejuri, 18th August 2026: The proposed 400KV Jejuri-Hinjewadi high-tension powerline project has triggered fresh concerns among farmers and residents of Purandar tehsil, with allegations that the present alignment could bring an existing school and residential habitats directly under the proposed Right of Way (ROW).
The project, being undertaken by the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL), was initially surveyed in 2010 and received state government budgetary approval in 2011, followed by permission for execution in 2012. However, the project was halted in 2014 after opposition from affected farmers.
The project was revived in 2025 following directions from the Maharashtra government. MSETCL subsequently conducted an internal survey and issued notices to affected landowners. Farmers, however, allege that the present alignment fails to account for the significant development that has taken place in the area over the past 16 years.
A major concern has been raised in Supe Khurd village, where a CBSE school and residential settlements have come up along the proposed alignment. Several retired Army personnel, locally known as Maji Sainiks, have also purchased land in the area for farming and residence.
According to the affected residents, the proposed 400KV transmission line would pass through a 52-metre ROW, potentially placing the school and inhabited areas within the alignment. They have urged MSETCL to reconsider the route on safety grounds.
“We are not opposing the powerline project. Our concern is that the present alignment would bring an existing school and residential habitats directly under the 400KV transmission line’s Right of Way. We have suggested a minor technical modification of around 7–8 degrees so that the line can pass through nearby open spaces, including government land. This can address the safety concerns without significantly affecting the project, but MSETCL has so far not agreed to the proposal,” said Col. LP Singh (Retd), a citizen reporter.
The residents have suggested partial re-routing of the transmission line through open spaces either to the north or south of the existing ROW. They claim that such a modification could help avoid the school and residential settlements while allowing the project to proceed.
The matter has been heard several times before the Purandar Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) since August 2025. On August 10, 2026, a delegation of farmers and retired Army personnel led by Col. LP Singh (Retd) also met the Pune District Collector and submitted an application seeking intervention. The Collector reportedly assured the delegation that the matter would be examined.
The farmers have also questioned the prolonged delay in execution of the project. They allege that some towers erected during the earlier phase subsequently went missing. They have cited Tower No. 11 in Supe Khurd, which they claim was visible in Google archival imagery until 2019 but was missing thereafter. According to the farmers, MSETCL lodged a police complaint regarding the missing tower only in October 2025.
The affected farmers and residents maintain that they are not against the power transmission project but want MSETCL to consider the changed ground situation and explore alternative open spaces before finalising the alignment.
They are now hoping that the Purandar SDO and Pune District Collector will intervene and ask MSETCL to make the necessary technical modifications to avoid placing the existing school and residential habitats under the proposed ROW.
