Monday, December 6, 2010

Power failure problems sit heavy on residents' head

Power failure problems sit heavy on residents' head
For the past eight months residents of Sector-11, Juhu Gaon are suffering power failures due to cable fault. And presently although cabling work is going on, residents are still being harassed for no rhyme or reason.
S A Shaikh, resident of Jeet Niwas, Sector-11, Juhu Gaon informs, "For the past eight months we are facing regular shutdowns of 10 to 24 hours at interval of one month. This is not due to routine power cut of MSEDC but the fault in the electricity cable. Around 10 buildings are linked with this main cable which supplies power. Each month, residents say, MSEDC workers come and do some temporary work and leave. Whatever the workers do residents do not question but they say that for the last one and a half-months, their electrical gadgets and equipment are going bust due to voltage fluctuations. We have lost seven tube lights and our fridge, while other residents say that their televisions have gone out of order".
"We pay our bills on time and even if we fail once or twice we are made to pay heavy penalty. Then when it comes to providing services why there is such a poor response? Why such temporary work is being done that electrical equipments are failing? Moreover, the workers who come here leave the cable left open without proper safety caps".
On the night of August 19, residents of JN4 Type of Sector 10 Vashi found a burning smell in their society. After checking all electrical connections, they found it was coming from under the ground with smoke. They immediately called MSEDC and Fire Brigade. Since then the work has been initiated by the Company in the compound. T Ganpathy, president of the society informs that the way work being done is adding to woes of residents. "The way the contractor's labourers are working is very unprofessional. Instead of laying one cable they are just joining cables. This has only increased the problem as every now and then power failure occurs. On August 23 our power failed and till 1 am, we the residents among whom 80 per cent are working, were sitting in the compound waiting for power supply to be restored," he says.
"Now a new problem has come up. The labourers now want to dig the whole lane in our compound to lay a cable, which they could have done from outside the society. If they dig inside the whole filling work we had got done, will be lost. Moreover, in the midst of monsoon it will only be filth all over".
When contacted MSEDC engineer Deshpande said, "We have been able to restore the lights of Juhu Gaon as well as of Sector-10, Vashi. We hope to provide a permanent solution to the residents at the earliest".
—Jaspal Singh Naol

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