Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: While Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has been registering record temperature levels, many areas are facing unplanned power cuts that are giving hardships to the residents.At 43.4°C, the city recorded the highest maximum temperature for at least three years on Sunday. Among other cities in Marathwada, Parbhani and Beed recorded a maximum of 43.5°Cand 42°C, respectively.Meanwhile, a major portion of Beed bypass road had a power outage for almost 12 hours beginning Sunday midnight, leaving citizens in the lurch.“My father is bed-ridden due to poor health. He was highly distressed due to the prolonged power cut. We had a sleepless night comforting him,” Renuka Rantaparkhe, a resident of Sena Nagar, said.Pooja Kulkarni, a resident of Chhatrapati Nagar, said frequent power cuts in her area were very disturbing and annoying.“We can understand planned power cuts and prepare accordingly. The power supply playing hide and seek halts your daily life. This is despite consumers like us paying regular power bills,” she said.Kailas Gaikwad, a private sector employee, said the Kranti Chowk area witnessed frequent power cuts on Saturday. “We use a power generator operating on diesel and there has been a dearth of diesel at a few outlets. A city like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar should have a smooth power supply,” he said.“Besides large scale unplanned power cuts, the old city market and few other areas have been witnessing extended planned power outages as a part of monsoon maintenance drives,” Laxminarayan Rathi, vice-president of the local merchants’ body, said.When contacted, MSEDCL chief engineer Pawankumar Kachhot said parts of Beed bypass area faced power outage for a longer period due to technical issues.“The low tension cable from the transformer to the distribution box burnt post midnight. The empaneled agency was informed and the issue was fixed,” he said.MSEDCL authorities downplayed power cut incidents in other areas, terming majority of it as planned outages to carry out pre-monsoon works.
