Nagpur: As Nagpur bakes under an unforgiving heatwave, the city is now battling a parallel crisis, a collapsing power supply system that has pushed citizens to the brink. Mounting outages, relentless tripping, and erratic voltage have triggered a sharp and public rebuke from Maharashtra’s Revenue and Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who squarely blamed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited for what he termed a complete administrative failure.
Calling the situation “unacceptable,” Bawankule made it clear that there is no shortage of electricity in the state, yet citizens are being forced to endure repeated and prolonged disruptions. “If power is available but still not reaching people, then the system has clearly failed,” he said, pointing to deep-rooted lapses across the entire chain, from ground-level staff to senior engineers.
Gold Rate
Apr 28- 2026 - Time 10.30Hrs
The timing couldn’t be worse. With temperatures soaring past 44°C, power demand has surged to extreme levels, exposing the fragile and overstretched distribution network. The result: large parts of Nagpur are now witnessing routine outages, wild voltage fluctuations, and unannounced cuts that have become a daily nightmare.
Bawankule, who oversees Nagpur and Amravati as Guardian Minister, has warned of strict accountability. A high-level meeting of power officials and engineers has been convened, and the issue is set to be escalated with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The message from the state leadership is blunt, fix the system or face consequences.
On the ground, the crisis is far more severe than official claims of “technical glitches.” From working-class areas to elite neighbourhoods, residents describe a system in disarray — where power cuts are frequent, prolonged, and completely unannounced.
In Shiv Nagar (Zingabai Takli), a frustrated resident highlighted the human cost: “On one hand, MSEDCL demands additional deposits. On the other hand, it cannot provide basic electricity. My grandmother, who suffers from heart and kidney issues, cannot sit even for 10 minutes without power, yet we are forced to suffer for hours.”
Godhani residents echo similar anger. In Suman Nagari, power outages have turned nights into a nightmare. “There was no electricity for hours between 11pm and 2am. In this heat, it’s impossible to even sit inside the house,” said a resident, adding that power tripped repeatedly throughout the day. “This is not a fault, this is a complete collapse of planning and accountability.”
Even as MSEDCL officials admit to feeder faults in some areas like Godhani and technical failures in Mahalaxmi Nagar (Manewada), complaints are pouring in from across the city, Civil Lines, Ramdaspeth, Besa, Narendra Nagar, Trimurti Nagar, all reporting the same pattern of disruption.
The growing outrage has exposed serious cracks in the power distribution network, long strained by ageing infrastructure and rising demand. What was once dismissed as “isolated faults” has now snowballed into a full-blown civic crisis.
Bawankule has issued a clear warning: the energy department will tighten oversight and enforce strict corrective measures. “Reliable power supply is non-negotiable. MSEDCL’s functioning will now be under close scrutiny,” he asserted.
For a city already suffocating under extreme heat, the power crisis has become a dangerous multiplier, turning homes into ovens and daily life into a test of endurance. Unless urgent action follows the warnings, Nagpur’s electricity nightmare shows no signs of easing.
