Power supply cut as underground wires damaged due to garbage burning
Pune: Thousands of residents in Tathawada and Punawale were left sweltering without power after a fire triggered by burning trash damaged two underground high-tension cables in Walhekarwadi around 3.30pm Monday. Supply was disrupted to around 15,000-16,000 consumers, particularly in areas west of Pune-Mumbai highway. Electricity was finally restored six hours later, at 9.30pm after MSEDCL deployed technical staff to repair damaged cables and restore supply on priority.
Restoration took long due to limited alternative routes to divert supply available with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL).
An unidentified person set waste on fire near a flyover close to the Mahadev temple, which damaged both primary and backup 22 kV underground cables, according to MSEDCL. These carry electricity to smaller lines originating from the 22/11 kV Benchmark and Pethkar substations.
Such incidents inconvenience residents, could damage critical infrastructure, trigger outages and may result in substantial damage to the power distribution network, it said. Public cooperation was essential to prevent similar incidents and ensure safety and reliability of the electricity distribution system, the utility said.