Supply of power to street lights in Warje area disconnected

Pune: Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has disconnected electricity supply of the street lights in Warje area following default in paying electricity bills. For the past two days, there have been no lights on the streets in the area.

Additional City Engineer, Electrical Department, Shriniwas Kandul, told Sakal Times, “We are paying online electricity bills on a monthly basis. We have developed software to alert due date of paying bills so that we can pay them before the last date. Because earlier we were facing a problem of disconnection of electricity.”

He said, “We are checking bills and spoke to local MSEDCL officials for restoring street light connections.” He also pointed out that the electrical department tabled a proposal in the Standing Committee to sanction Rs 9 crore to pay street light bills. Though it was passed in the meeting, it has not been approved in the General Body meeting yet.”

According to PMC data, there are over 1.50 lakh street poles present across the city. There are four types of poles such as decorative, tubular, hexagonal, galvanised, octagonal and high mast.

Local NCP corporator Dilip Barate said, “PMC has an annual budget of Rs 7,390 crore for year 2020-21. It is the lethargy of PMC that it couldn’t pay street light bills.”