Major power outage at Pune’s Hinjewadi IT hub affects over 50,000 consumers

According to MSEDCL officials, full restoration may take some time.

The outage occurred around 2.10 pm on Sunday due to a fault in the 220 kV Infosys–Pegasus ultra-high voltage underground line near the Hinjewadi phase-2 metro station. As a result, power supply to more than 52,000 consumers in the Ganeshkhind and Pune Rural divisions of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).

The power utility undertook emergency measures and managed to restore electricity to all low-voltage consumers through alternative routes by Monday morning, bringing relief to most urban areas. However, the full restoration for some high-voltage consumers will take more time.

An official statement issued on Monday said that MSETCL took up maintenance and repair work from 11 am to 1 pm on Sunday and that power supply had therefore been shut down. However, after the power supply was resumed, a major fault occurred in the 220 kV Infosys to 220 kV Pegasus extra-high voltage underground power line around 2.10 pm on Sunday.

As a result, the power supply through 25 22-kV lines was disrupted, affecting two extra-high voltage consumers—Infosys and Nextra—as well as 91 high-voltage and over 52,000 low-voltage consumers. This includes 20,000 domestic and commercial low-voltage customers in the Pimpri division and 32,000 in the Mulshi division.

Efforts were on to restore power supply by MSETCL till 6 pm on Sunday. Till then, the authorities had not declared any fault. But MSEDCL had tried to start power supply through alternative routes, keeping in mind the possible power crisis.

MSEDCL officials said work was undertaken on a war footing to avoid inconvenience to the consumers. Sunil Kakade; along with Sinhajirao Gaikwad, Superintendent Engineer, Ganeshkhind division; and Yuvraj Jarg, Superintendent Engineer, Pune Rural; ensured that power supply was restored through alternative routes, they added.

Power supply to 2,000 consumers resumed in the first phase at 10 pm on Sunday. Power supply to all low-voltage consumers was restored by 4 am on Monday. Supply to some industrial consumers was successfully resumed from the substation at the Kolte Patil Township.

However, due to high demand from 85 high-voltage and two extra-high-voltage consumers as well as the absence of available power load elsewhere, power supply to these consumers will have to be suspended until further planning is undertaken, MSEDCL authorities stated. “Supply will be provided on a rotational basis,” an official said.

Affected areas

Around 32,000 consumers in the areas of Xrbia Society, Kolte Patil Township, Marunji, Maan, Jambe, Mere, and Dattawadi in the Mulshi division had been affected since Sunday afternoon. Hinjewadi MIDC, IT Park, a part of Raisoni Park, Dohler Company, and Wipro Circle in the Pimpri division were also affected. Now, except for some industrial consumers, power supply to all urban areas has been started through alternative means.

What residents say

Santosh Thakur, an IT professional residing in Hinjewadi phase 3, said that electricity was cut at 11 am on Sunday for a scheduled two-hour maintenance but did not come back till 7 am on Monday. He said, “Our building manager kept trying to get updates from MSEDCL and he was told ‘one more hour, two more hours’. But the electricity never came back. Our building had backup but our homes had no power for 20 hours. We could not charge our phones or laptops. Fifty-sixty people gathered in the society common area to charge their devices. Luckily it was a Sunday and a holiday, so we managed.” Thakur added that there was a power cut for an hour at 1 pm on Monday as well.

Shankal Salkar of the Hinjewadi Industries Association said, “MSEDCL has informed us about the scheduled maintenance for traffic management on Sunday. The road was going to be dug up and narrowed. The low-tension connections were restored, we were told, but the high-tension connections will take some time. The work on the main high-tension and ultra high-tension lines is going on. They are working hard.”