Hours-long Outages, Wild Fluctuations Leave Citizens Sleepless

Nagpur: The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd's ageing distribution network is buckling under soaring demand, leading to multiple outages and voltage fluctuations, with Nagpur recording an all-time high power load of 914 MW on Saturday as temperatures hovered near 45 degrees Celsius. Late Sunday night, several localities near Gorewada were plunged into darkness after an overloaded transformer failed, disrupting the electricity supply for hours. In Mahesh Nagar, residents were jolted awake past midnight by a loud explosion after a distribution point (DP) transformer burst following a short circuit. Within moments, the locality lost power. Ceiling fans, air conditioners, and coolers shut down as homes turned unbearably hot. Many residents stepped onto roads and terraces seeking relief from the oppressive heat. Senior citizens, children, and patients were among the worst affected. "The heat was unbearable. You cannot sit indoors without a fan even for 10 minutes," said Abdullah, a resident. MSEDCL technicians rushed to the site and worked through the night to restore supply. Electricity was temporarily diverted from nearby feeders, but restoration remained patchy till around 3.30am, with several pockets continuing to face outages into the morning. Even after power returned around 6.30am in some areas, residents complained of severe voltage fluctuations and low supply that rendered appliances unusable. Many unplugged refrigerators, televisions, and air conditioners fearing damage from unstable current. "When the electricity finally returned, the voltage was fluctuating so badly that the AC would not start," said Tarannum, a homemaker. "Children spent the entire night crying because of the heat and mosquitoes." Frustration also spilled onto the streets. In New Ahbab Colony, heated arguments broke out between exhausted residents and MSEDCL staff carrying out repair work, though several locals acknowledged that field technicians were struggling with limited resources and ageing infrastructure. Mohd Aadil, who had to report for duty early Monday morning after remaining awake through the outage, said everybody knows these transformers are decades old and overloaded. Nothing is upgraded until something bursts. The damaged transformer was eventually replaced on Monday afternoon, resulting in another temporary shutdown. However, residents said the larger problem of overloaded infrastructure remains unresolved. A similar incident occurred later on Monday when another DP caught fire near Mate Square, causing fresh outages during peak daytime heat and further exposing the strain on the city's distribution network. NHAI work damages feeder, 22,000 consumers hit Nearly 22,000 consumers faced power disruption on Sunday evening after an underground feeder cable of MSEDCL was damaged during ongoing work by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) near Ashok Square. The incident occurred around 4.15pm and affected the 33 kV Anandam-Umred Road feeder originating from the 132 kV Besa substation. Areas impacted included Reshimbagh, Siraspeth, Awari Chowk, Ganesh Nagar, Om Nagar, Anand Nagar, Nehru Nagar, Umred Road, Tulshibaug and the Godrej Anandam complex. Officials said restoration work began immediately after the feeder damage was reported.