Residents of Ravet and Kiwale, accompanied by local corporator Aishwarya Taras, met officials from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) on Wednesday. They demanded immediate measures to improve power supply in these rapidly growing suburbs, as complaints of frequent power outages have surged over the past few days.
Residents Express Frustration Over Repeated Disruptions
Residents reported that the situation has worsened in the last month, with soaring temperatures making repeated power cuts unbearable. Amol Kalekar, a resident, stated that while occasional outages were not new to the area, their frequency has increased sharply. "We face power cuts at least four times a day. Sometimes supply resumes within 30 minutes, but other times it takes one or two hours," he said.
Kalekar claimed that a shortage of staff is delaying restoration work. "We have raised this issue with officials several times. We were told the existing infrastructure is insufficient for the rapidly growing population," he added. He noted that Ravet and Kiwale are among the fastest-developing localities in the city and urged authorities to expedite infrastructure expansion to meet rising demand.
Voltage Fluctuations Add to Woes
Another resident, Manoj Sharma, said fluctuations in supply are as troubling as the outages. "It is not just the power cuts. There is often low voltage, which can damage electronic appliances. Besides, nobody answers calls when power fails, and there is no prior intimation about disruptions," he said.
Corporator Demands More Staff
In a letter submitted to MSEDCL, Taras highlighted that inadequate manpower results in delayed repairs and poor grievance redressal. "Only two staff members are deployed at each station to handle complaints, which slows down restoration during breakdowns. The number of staff must be increased, failing which we will be forced to launch a larger protest," she said.
MSEDCL Response
MSEDCL officials maintained that there are no planned or regular load-shedding cuts in the area, and efforts are made to restore supply as soon as possible during faults. Ratnadeep Kale, assistant engineer at MSEDCL, said a back-feeding system is in place to minimize disruption during breakdowns. "Power demand has increased during the summer and after the LPG shortage, as more people rely on electricity," he said.
Kale added that a separate Ravet section has been proposed, and recruitment for additional manpower will begin shortly. "The process is likely to be completed within two months, after which more staff will be available on the ground in each locality," he said.
