Garbage fire causes two-hour blackout in Navale Bridge

Over 20,000 people in the Navale Bridge area faced a power outage for more than two hours on Monday. This outage was caused by garbage burning near high-pressure power lines. The incident worsened the challenges of the ongoing summer heat. The power cut affected areas around Sinhagad College, Dattanagar, and Ambegaon. It was not the first such outage—there have been at least two similar incidents in the past three days due to burning garbage. MSEDCL, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, is urging residents to avoid this practice to help prevent further disruptions. This outage followed a major power disruption on Saturday. A person set dry grass on fire near a substation in Talegaon. This incident disrupted power for almost 2.49 lakh consumers in places like Pimpri-Chinchwad and Bhosari for over an hour. Residents are frustrated. Sandeep Kamble, from the Sinhagad College area, highlighted the unbearable heat and how power cuts made staying at home difficult. He called on MSEDCL to ensure a stable supply during the hot season. MSEDCL’s executive engineer, Ravindra Avhad, reported that an electrical cable caught fire near the Ambegaon highway at 7 pm on Monday. Crews quickly responded to the situation. They began restoring power after about 30 minutes, and supply was gradually restored by 11 pm. Avhad reiterated the importance of not burning garbage near power lines to avoid such inconveniences.