MSEDCL Chief Engineer directed to inspect working style of the power distribution franchisee and submit report within 8 days.
Nagpur: Faced with a flood of power outage complaints, the Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has put the truant SNDL on notice. The minister has directed the Chief Engineer of MSEDCL to inspect the working style of the power distribution franchisee and also the status and arrangements of electricity supply in the city and submit the report within eight days. The SNDL supplies power to three divisions of city – Gandhibagh, Civil Lines, and Mahal – and the areas witnessed frequent power breakdowns recently.
Bawankule had convened a high-level meeting of SNDL and MSCEDL officials at Ravibhavan here on Monday where the directive was issued to the Chief Engineer and other officials of MSEDCL to go through the affairs of SNDL. The meeting was also attended by five MLAs of city – Sudhakar Deshmukh, Krishna Khopde, Vikas Kumbhare, Sudhakar Kohale, Dr Milind Mane and the Mayor Pravin Datke who bore the brunt of citizens over power outages.
Expressing their anger over the working style of SNDL, the MLAs charged that no improvement is being seen in the power supply. “The SNDL has not yet started the Rs 11 crore development work, no work of LT lines has been started, no trimming of trees was done before the start of rainy season. All these facts have caused breakdowns of power in many areas every now and then,” blasted the MLAs. They further said that lots and lots of complaints have been lodged by citizens over the working style of SNDL but the power distribution franchisee has done little to resolve them.
Most of the complaints highlighted by the MLAs and the Mayor pertained to exorbitant power bills with Khopde himself receiving Rs 34,000 bill this time. A slight storm or strong winds cripple the power supply and such incidents occur without fail.
The MSEDCL also came under fire for no control over the truant SNDL. The responsibility of keeping a tab on SNDL rests with the MSEDCL teams.
The cornered SNDL authorities tried to pacify the frayed tempers but could not succeed as their clarifications were termed satisfactory. The earlier promises doled out by the SNDL were not fulfilled.
