Although the Maharashtra government claims the state is free from distress load-shedding despite the coal crisis and the soaring demand for electricity due to the rising heat, consumer groups allege it is resorting to covert power cuts without announcing them officially. However, the allegation has been refuted by the state-owned power distribution utility.
“Instead of a planned load-shedding, they are enforcing it in a disguised manner… this is often passed as power cuts undertaken due to breakdowns and maintenance,” Pratap Hogade of Maharashtra Rajya Veej Grahak Sanghatana said.
He said the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) was shedding around half an hour to an hour of load across the state to make up for the gap between demand and supply.
