Mahabaleshwar Hill Municipal Council’s power supply restored; bill paid immediately upon fund availability

Kolhapur: Clarifying recent reports regarding disconnection of its electricity supply by MSEDCL over unpaid dues, the Mahabaleshwar Hill Municipal Council (MHMC) has stated that the delay was caused by a shortage of timely grants and technical glitches during the payment process.In a press release issued this week, the council said that while power was temporarily interrupted, it was restored on March 24 immediately following a successful online payment.According to the council, financial difficulties arose because funds from the 15th Finance Commission were not received on schedule. Furthermore, no specific grants were allocated for electricity expenses, forcing the council to use its own limited internal funds to cover high utility costs.The press release states that water supply to the city of Mahabaleshwar is provided by the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (Water Supply Authority). The monthly electricity bills associated with this water supply amount to approximately Rs25 to Rs27 lakh. During the financial year 2025–26, the Municipal Council paid an estimated Rs1.57 crore towards these water supply-related electricity bills. Furthermore, the monthly electricity bills for the city's sewage treatment plant (STP) and water treatment plant (WTP)—both of which utilise high tension (HT) power connections—amount to approximately Rs10 to Rs12 lakh; these, too, are being paid regularly from the municipal council's funds.The crisis was resolved after the Maharashtra Urban Development Department released the first installment of "Untied Grants" on March 24. The Council stated that it immediately initiated an online transfer to MSEDCL. However, technical glitches during the transaction caused a delay, leading to a temporary power cut. Once the payment was successfully processed later that day, MSEDCL restored the supply.Chief officer of MHMC, Yogesh Patil, noted that the Council's revenue has been constrained for years. "The city's quadrennial property tax assessment has not been conducted since 2017, and several tax assessments are currently tied up in court," Patil explained.Despite these hurdles, Patil emphasised the council's commitment to the city's "Clean, Beautiful, and Green Mahabaleshwar" vision. "We are striving to ensure the uninterrupted provision of essential services. Moving forward, we will implement better financial planning and coordination to prevent such disruptions from recurring," he added.