Following a formal complaint and a story published by The Free Press Journal, the Maharashtra State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has released the pending monthly reliability indices for August, September and October 2024 on the official website of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).
Consumer rights activist Vivek Velankar had filed the complaint, criticising the company for its habitual delays. "If the data was ready, why wasn’t it published earlier? Why does MSEDCL always need a push to act responsibly?" Velankar questioned.
The newly released data reflect MSEDCL's declining performance. In July 2024, 23,769 power outage incidents occurred across Maharashtra due to technical faults, rising to 107,088 incidents in October 2024. The total hours of power outages faced by consumers increased from 34,993 hours in July to 67,815 hours in October.
In the Pune area particularly, MSEDCL recorded a sharp decline in service quality. In July 2024, the Pune zone reported 1,314 outages, with consumers having to face 2,051 hours of power cuts. By October, this figure had risen to 16,168 outages, resulting in 8,766 hours of outages.
Velankar has called on MERC to take immediate action, stating, "The regulatory body must review these indices and hold MSEDCL accountable for its deteriorating service standards. Consumers deserve better."
Speaking to this newspaper, Bharat Pawar, PRO Chief of MSEDCL, said, "Yesterday, after speaking to my team, we promptly updated the data, and it’s now available on the website. The issue of power outages has increased in Pune because it’s very difficult for us to work here. When we want to transmit electricity, the connections are laid underground, and most areas in the city are either prohibited or defence zones. Getting permission and passing the lines takes a long time, which is the main issue."
