A power outage affected approximately 6,500 consumers in several areas of Pune on Friday, following damage to underground feeder cables during drainage work by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The incident occurred at the 220 kV Navi Peth substation, where an earthmover engaged in excavation work damaged two incoming feeder cables originating from the new Parvati substation. As a result, supply from all eight outgoing feeders connected to the Navi Peth substation was interrupted.
Timeline of the Incident
According to PMC officials, the incident took place around 4:15 pm. However, residents claimed that the power supply was disrupted as early as 2:30 pm. The affected areas included Sadashiv Peth, Navi Peth, Shastri Road, SP College, and Sane Gurujinagar.
Residents' Accounts
Kiran Lele, a resident of Sadashiv Peth, said, "Power supply was interrupted from 2:30 pm. The entire stretch from Tilak Smarak Mandir to Maharashtra Mandal did not have electricity. We were told that supply will resume from 10:30 pm."
Abhijit Kulkarni, another Sadashiv Peth resident, mentioned that he learned about the outage when he called his parents. "The inverters stopped working two to three hours into the power cut. Several senior citizens live alone in the area and fear for their security after dark," he added.
Impact on Businesses and Daily Life
The outage affected around 180 transformers supplying electricity to residential and commercial areas in the localities. Nachiket Kane, a resident of Tilak Road, said, "Several shopowners on Tilak Road shut early. There was no point running the business in the dark as the backup was also exhausted."
Ravi Deshpande, another Tilak Road resident, expressed frustration over recurring power cuts. "We have been facing the problem of power cuts for long hours for the last two weeks. On Friday, there were some infrastructure issues which delayed the resumption of supply to our society. It impacted routine life, especially of senior citizens and those working from home," he said.
Restoration Efforts
A Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) spokesperson stated that the supply was expected to resume by 9:30 pm. However, the areas continued to be without power until the time of going to press.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of underground power infrastructure to civic construction activities. Residents have called for better coordination between municipal authorities and utility companies to prevent such disruptions in the future.
