Relentless power cuts spark public outrage, MSEDCL officials face gherao today

Nagpur: As the city reels under an intense heatwave with temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius, residents are facing another mounting crisis — frequent and prolonged power outages that have triggered widespread anger against Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL). The resentment is particularly severe in parts of West Nagpur, where repeated blackouts have left residents frustrated. Angered by the lack of improvement despite repeated complaints, Congress workers, local corporators, and residents from several localities have decided to gherao senior MSEDCL officials outside Vidyut Bhavan on Katol Road on Monday. Residents alleged that recurring feeder tripping and prolonged outages have made life unbearable in the scorching heat, leaving households without fans, coolers and, in some areas, even water supply for hours. Over the past few days, outages have been reported from Katol Naka, Wadi, Mahesh Nagar, and adjoining areas, with residents complaining of multiple interruptions every day. Repeated nighttime failures have worsened conditions for children, senior citizens, and patients. Locals said repeated breakdowns and deteriorating infrastructure have exposed the utility's inability to cope with rising summer power demand. "Power cuts have increased sharply over the last few days and are happening far more frequently," said Parmatma Mishra, a resident affected by the outages. The recurring blackouts are also disrupting work schedules, travel plans, and routine household activities. "On Sunday, I was supposed to board the Vande Bharat Express with my family and planned to iron clothes before leaving home. Barely an hour before departure, the power went off. I could not finish household chores before leaving for the journey. Power cuts have continued in our area for months, but MSEDCL has still not provided relief," Tausif Khan, another affected resident, said. For the past two months, TOI has consistently reported on outages across Nagpur linked to MSEDCL's ageing and overloaded infrastructure. Despite repeated assurances about preparedness for peak summer demand, residents continue to face erratic supply, sudden tripping and hours-long blackouts. Meanwhile, the crisis deepened after a main cable near Dabha Katol Naka caught fire, severely disrupting the electricity supply in surrounding areas. Following the incident, MSEDCL diverted the load to an alternate feeder and began restoring supply locality-wise. However, restoration remained patchy for several hours, with some areas receiving only single-phase power while others remained without electricity. In a public appeal after the fire, local corporator Darshani Dhawad urged residents to temporarily minimise electricity consumption to avoid overloading the alternate feeder. The appeal, however, further fuelled public anger, with citizens questioning why the city's power infrastructure continues to fail every summer despite repeated claims of upgrades and preventive maintenance.