Underground power cables have been damaged three times during highway widening work between Wakad bridge and Chandni Chowk, prompting Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) to file a police complaint against the contractor and warn of wider electricity supply risks in Pune.
MSEDCL said cables were damaged on October 16, 17 and 31 while work was being carried out on the stretch. The incidents caused power outages, inconvenienced consumers and imposed repair and restoration costs of several lakh rupees on the utility. The repeated damage has also affected MSEDCL’s ability to maintain an uninterrupted electricity supply.
The first incident involved a cable supplying power through the 22kV Beverly feeder on October 16. The following day, a cable belonging to the 22kV Nia feeder was damaged near Bitwise Chowk. A third incident was reported on October 31 during the ongoing roadwork.
MSEDCL has alleged that the contractor continued excavation and construction activity despite repeated warnings and without ensuring the safe relocation of underground power lines. The Baner branch office under MSEDCL’s Aundh sub-division lodged a formal complaint at Bavdhan police station on October 27 and urged the police to initiate legal action to prevent further damage to public property.
According to MSEDCL officials, power lines obstructing highway widening and service road construction must be shifted through a prescribed process. The agency executing the work is required to obtain an estimate from MSEDCL, secure approval and complete the required formalities before construction proceeds near the cables.
MSEDCL said approval for the work has been obtained for the section within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits. However, senior officials said similar permission has not been secured for the section falling within Pune Municipal Corporation limits. The source report did not specify the exact length of the two sections or identify the contractor named in the complaint.
The utility has warned that proceeding without properly identifying and relocating the 22kV high-tension and low-tension underground lines could affect electricity supply to a large number of consumers in Aundh, Baner and Mahalunge. A fault in one of the cables could result in further outages in these areas.
MSEDCL has also raised concerns that cables currently running along the roadside could be trapped beneath the widened carriageway or buried under the concrete surface. If that happens, locating a fault and carrying out repairs could require excavation of the road, potentially delaying restoration and affecting electricity supply to lakhs of consumers.
The utility has called for the cable locations to be identified and the lines to be safely relocated before the highway work advances. The police complaint remains the formal action announced by MSEDCL in response to the repeated incidents.
