Baner-Balewadi residents to protest today against frequent power cuts

Pune: Residents of Baner-Balewadi have organised a protest against recent repeated power cuts in their areas in the middle of a severe summer. The protest will be held at Signet Corner, Balewadi Phata, at 6pm on Saturday.Residents said Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) officials are largely unresponsive when there are sudden power cuts, and consumers are not informed about faults in the system whenever they arise.“We are forced to take this extreme step as there is no respite from these outages, despite repeated follow-ups with officials. There has to be a permanent solution from the utility’s side,” said Sarang Wable, member of the Baner-Balewadi-Pashan Residents Association.Around 150 residents are expected to participate in the protest. They said the issue is being faced in Pashan and Mahalunge, too.Baner resident Gopendra Pataskar said, “It is the responsibility of the power company to compensate consumers for all the damage done to various gadgets and equipment due to the constant poor quality of electricity supply.”Members of Balewadi residential society Sai Silicon Valley have even filed a written complaint with the MSEDCL executive engineer in Aundh over the repeated power failures. They are further looking into moving the consumer grievance redressal forum to escalate the matter.Residents near the Balewadi High Street faced a 12-hour power cut on May 11, followed by a six-hour power outage the following day. Many pointed out that they faced extreme discomfort and risk of illness amid the ongoing heatwave.