Over 10,000 residents of Swapnapurti Housing Society in Kharghar faced a daunting challenge on Wednesday as they could not use the lifts of the building. The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has disconnected the electricity supply to the premises due to unpaid bills. As a result, residents have no choice but to rely on stairs for vertical transit within the building. Residents claim that the maintenance area of the building had its supply disconnected on Wednesday morning without prior notice. They were only made aware of the reason when they reached out to the electricity distribution agency for clarification.
Swapnapurti Housing Scheme, especially for lower income group and middle income group was developed by CIDCO at sector 36 in Kharghar in 2014. There are 36 buildings of 14 floors and 22 buildings of 7 floors and more than 10,000 people reside. According to residents, CIDCO is responsible for the maintenance of all buildings within the Swapnapurti Housing Scheme. Upon contacting MSEDCL, residents were informed that the electricity supply was disconnected due to outstanding bills amounting to approximately Rs 16 lakh. Despite repeated reminders from MSEDCL, CIDCO allegedly failed to address the payment issue.
The abrupt action taken by MSEDCL posed major challenges for residents residing on the upper floors. Concerns have been raised about the accessibility of sick residents within the building. Residents fear that the sudden power disruption may also impact the water supply, exacerbating the situation further. Santosh Wahal, a resident residing on the 14th floor of one of the towers in Swapnapurti, highlighted the inconvenience faced by early-morning commuters, noting that many prefer to remain on the ground floor due to the challenge of climbing multiple flights of stairs. "It's a major challenge for residents, particularly ascending to the top floors using the stairs," remarked Patil. He further expressed concern about his own situation, mentioning that descending poses difficulty, as returning to the 14th floor would be another challenge. The public relations department of CIDCO stated that it will check the issue.