Pune power cables were damaged three times during highway-widening work between Wakad bridge and Chandni Chowk in October, prompting Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) to file a police complaint against the contractor and warn of wider supply risks in the city’s western suburbs.
According to MSEDCL, underground cables were damaged on October 16, 17 and 31 while work was being carried out on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) project. The incidents caused power interruptions, inconvenienced consumers and forced the utility to spend on repairs and restoration, resulting in losses estimated at several lakh rupees.
The first incident involved a cable supplying power through the 22kV Beverly feeder on October 16. On the following day, a cable connected to the 22kV Nia feeder was damaged near Bitwise Chowk. MSEDCL reported a third cable damage incident on October 31, although the report did not provide further details about the affected feeder or location.
MSEDCL said the contractor continued roadwork despite repeated warnings and without ensuring that underground power lines were safely relocated. The utility has stated that agencies executing highway widening and service-road construction must first identify cables obstructing the work, obtain an estimate from MSEDCL, secure the required approval and complete the prescribed shifting process before construction proceeds.
The Baner branch office under MSEDCL’s Aundh sub-division lodged the formal complaint at Bavdhan police station on October 27. The complaint alleges that the contractor proceeded with the work despite prior warnings and without completing the necessary arrangements for protecting or relocating the cables. MSEDCL has requested legal action to prevent further damage to public property.
The utility has also raised concerns about the administrative coordination of the project across municipal boundaries. Senior MSEDCL officials said approval had been obtained for work within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits, but a similar permission had not been secured for the section falling within the Pune Municipal Corporation limits.
The affected infrastructure includes 22kV high-tension and low-tension underground lines serving areas such as Aundh, Baner and Mahalunge. MSEDCL warned that if the roadwork continues without proper identification and relocation of these lines, a future fault could disrupt electricity supply to a large number of consumers.
The utility’s concern extends beyond the immediate outages. Cables currently running along the roadside could be left beneath the widened carriageway or buried under a concrete surface if the work advances without coordinated shifting. In that situation, locating a fault could become more difficult, while repairs might require excavation of the completed road and delay restoration of supply.
MSEDCL has said highway and other infrastructure projects must be executed without damaging essential services. The police complaint is now the formal step taken by the utility after the three reported cable damage incidents and its warnings to the agency undertaking the work.
