PUNE: Representative bodies in the heavily industrialized Pimpri-Chinchwad-Chakan belt are counting their losses after Wednesday’s power outage and are demanding accountability from the MSEDCL and a “thorough investigation” into the cause of the service disruption.
Although industry bodies could not provide an exact financial impact for the near loss of a day’s production, one observer estimated losses at Rs10-12 crore for the day. The Observer said most of the impact was borne by micro, small and medium units, which operate on tight margins and depend on steady cash flow and order fulfillment. The operation of the diesel generators was also out of the question due to the duration of the outage and the rising cost of fuel.
“Until around noon, 40% of the units were closed due to the power cut. Local engineers from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) told the other units that their power supply had to be temporarily interrupted, as part of an emergency power outage. We are suffering a lot because of the outage,” said Sandip Belsare, president of the Pimpri Chinchwad Small Industries Association.
“Wages paid today were lapsed due to the power outage. The MSEDCL also could not provide a clear reason for the power outage. The incident must be fully investigated,” he said.
Some industry groups have lamented the MSEDCL’s “lack of action” in favor of sustainable, albeit inadequate, backup options, including solar power.
“The Chakan industrial belt and its surroundings generate a lot of income for the MSEDCL. But their customer service is non-existent. Most units in our region lost a day of production on Wednesday due to the fluctuating and intermittent power supply. Running backup power sources, such as diesel generators, is almost impossible for an entire day due to the costs involved. Even for the installation of solar energy, the MSEDCL is not cooperative enough,” lamented Dileep Batwal, secretary of the Federation of Chakan Industries.
Although industry bodies could not provide an exact financial impact for the near loss of a day’s production, one observer estimated losses at Rs10-12 crore for the day. The Observer said most of the impact was borne by micro, small and medium units, which operate on tight margins and depend on steady cash flow and order fulfillment. The operation of the diesel generators was also out of the question due to the duration of the outage and the rising cost of fuel.
“Until around noon, 40% of the units were closed due to the power cut. Local engineers from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) told the other units that their power supply had to be temporarily interrupted, as part of an emergency power outage. We are suffering a lot because of the outage,” said Sandip Belsare, president of the Pimpri Chinchwad Small Industries Association.
“Wages paid today were lapsed due to the power outage. The MSEDCL also could not provide a clear reason for the power outage. The incident must be fully investigated,” he said.
Some industry groups have lamented the MSEDCL’s “lack of action” in favor of sustainable, albeit inadequate, backup options, including solar power.
“The Chakan industrial belt and its surroundings generate a lot of income for the MSEDCL. But their customer service is non-existent. Most units in our region lost a day of production on Wednesday due to the fluctuating and intermittent power supply. Running backup power sources, such as diesel generators, is almost impossible for an entire day due to the costs involved. Even for the installation of solar energy, the MSEDCL is not cooperative enough,” lamented Dileep Batwal, secretary of the Federation of Chakan Industries.
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