Students suffer as CoEP, MSEDCL lock horns over power repair work

As many as 2,000 students, including 800 girls, stay in these hostels.

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“Many students have left as their exams have got over. However, the final year practical exams and presentations are still on and over 700 students are still staying in the hostels,” said Sahasrabudhe.

“We have been running a generator at night which consumes around 700 litres of diesel per night. It has to be turned off once in a while to cool off,” he added.

While the college authorities believe that MSEDCL should repair the damaged cable, the power utility is citing rules and regulations to put the onus on the college.

“The damage in the main cable that supplies current to the distribution line or a transformer is MSEDCL’s responsibility. If there was any damage in the transformer or the distribution line, we would have got it repaired. We even wrote to the PMC but there was no response,” said Sahasrabudhe.

Countering the college’s claim, Nishikant Raut, spokesperson, MSEDCL, said, “As per the DDF scheme, if a private contractor has done the work, the user should get the repair work done by the contractor himself in the guarantee period. CoEP had got the work done under the DDF scheme for which the guarantee period is five years. Only after five years, we will be responsible for any damage.”

However, this blame game has left the students in lurch.

“This is the peak of summers and we cannot even use fans. Since the motor does not work, water does not reach the overhead tanks. We can’t go home as we have exams. There are presentations to be made but we cannot use our laptops. I hope the problem gets sorted out soon,” said a student