Pune: Electricity Supply Disrupted In Ambegaon, Katraj Due To Excavation On National Highway

Mrunal Jadhav

Pune, 12th June 2021: Construction of National Highway stretch between Katraj Chowk to Navale Bridge is underway. However, in the last six months, about 16,000 Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) customers have been facing power cuts due to high voltage underground power lines being damaged on both sides of the road due to excavations.

In the last eight days, underground conduits have been cut at five places in JCB’s excavations. In this case, MSEDCL has lodged a complaint with Bharati Vidyapeeth police station.

According to MSEDCL, this is happening three to four times a week. After the power outage, MSEDCL teams rush to restore the power supply from the alternative system and repair the broken lines. MSEDCL has to bear the financial burden of repairs, loss of electricity sales and consumer anger due to breakage of underground power lines during excavation. Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has to carry out the work of relocating MSEDCL’s underground high voltage power lines and other systems for this highway and the budget for this has been approved by MSEDCL in July 2020. The electricity supply will not be disrupted if the work of transferring the electrical system is completed.

“Road widening work is underway for National Highway between Katraj Chowk to Navale Bridge under Padmavati Division. MSEDCL has already laid eight high voltage underground power lines on both sides of the 5 km road. MSEDCL has approved the budget as per the rules and submitted it to NHAI in July last year for relocation of these power lines and other systems.

Despite repeated follow-up and meetings, no action has yet been taken by the NHAI to transfer the electrical system. In contrast, high-voltage power lines have been cut 27 times in the last six months by JCB in road widening excavations. As a result, about 16,000 consumers in Katraj Chowk, Ambegaon Khurd, Ambegaon Budruk, Duttnagar, Jambhulwadi, Kolewadi, Wonder City, Bharti Vihar, Katraj Dairy and other areas are facing power outages”, MSEDCL stated in a press release.

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