Pune: MSEDCL on Thursday wrote to the civic body, flagging frequent damage to power supply lines and resulting power disruptions in Aundh due to road digging.
These mishaps can be reduced once dedicated spaces like ducts are made available for cables,” said Umesh Karpe, additional executive engineer. Officials said this will reduce future road digging, prevent damage, minimise inconvenience to citizens and improve power supply reliability. Internet supply gets affected in the absence of electricity,” said Pashan resident Neha Deshmukh. Mismanaged power distribution leads to work disturbances not only at home but also in offices, she said.
The state power utility further stated the need for independent corridors to ensure safe passage for MSEDCL’s underground power cables. “We have received many complaints about power failures after cables are cut during road digging. “Many employees have now adopted the work-from-home system.
Pune municipal corporation (PMC) will make utility ducts mandatory on major roads and is considering implementing a ‘Pune Duct Policy’, it said in response to MSEDCL. Officials said an inspection of the spots will be carried out to resolve the problem. PMC said that once set up, the ducts will provide independent space for laying cables. A ground inspection will be conducted before finalising the decision on ducts,” said PMC executive engineer Rohidas Gavhane.
It also stated that the administration lacks a unified digital master plan tracking the exact routes of drinking water pipelines, drainage lines, electrical grids, gas ducts and fibre-optic cables. “The decision about feasibility of ducts in specific areas will be taken on a case-by-case basis.