Power cuts: Underground cables only solution, say officials

MSEDCL has agreed to spend Rs 967 crore as part of its infrastructure phase-2 upgradation programme.

Residents of Wanowrie, NIBM Road, Kondhwa, Yeolewadi and others in the eastern part of Pune faced power disruption for 10-12 hours on Sunday night. The city has been witnessing heavy rains for the past couple of days and the problem of power disruption is particularly acute in these areas due to a heavy tree cover. The branches often fall on the overhead cables, leading to prolonged disruption of power supply, according to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Limited (MSEDCL) officials.

When contacted, Ganesh Edke, executive engineer, Rasta Peth urban circle, MSEDCL, told Pune Newsline that a similar situation arose on Sunday due to heavy rains.This, coupled with other issues like a feeder pillar near Raheja Garden society in Wanowrie being submerged in rain water, the power supply had to be shut till the water was drained.

However, the solution to the problem rests on laying underground cables. MSEDCL has agreed to spend Rs 967 crore as part of its infrastructure phase-2 upgradation programme. The utility also has ambitious plans to set up 27 sub-stations and 1015 km of underground cable. The setting up of over 800 transformers, 2500 feeder pillars and other works will also be taken up.

The ambitious plan was delayed, earlier this year, due to a controversy over road digging charges between the PMC and MSEDCL. “The issue has been resolved as the charges have now been fixed at Rs 2350 per running meter,” N Raut, public relations officer of MSEDCL, told Pune Newsline.

In areas like Wanowrie, Fatimanagar, Kondhwa, NIBM Road and others, both MSEDCL and Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) have agreed to undertake joint surveys before starting road digging work. According to Edke, “We have completed the survey and are now waiting for PCB authorities to give us the go-ahead to start the road digging work to lay underground cables. This will solve the problem of power disruption in the area,” he said.

When contacted, Vijay Chavan, electrical engineer with PCB, said that a joint survey of the internal roads in Ghorpadi had been completed. “However, we are still to complete the survey of the internal roads of Wanowrie. Some of the roads belong to Military Engineering Services and some are under PCB’s jurisdiction,” said Chavan.

Underground cables have been laid in some areas of the old city under the Rasta Peth circle like Kasba Peth and others. In Wanowrie, Kondhwa and other areas the cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 20 crore.

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Aggrieved residents like Murtuza Nalwala who lives at NIBM Road said it was really frustrating that showers often led to power supply failure. “This is not just an one-off incident and occurs regularly. It was raining heavily, this weekend, and there were power disruptions on both Saturday and Sunday night. While the supply was erratic on Saturday, there has been no power from Sunday night till Monday afternoon,” he complained.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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