**Palghar: Delay in Setting Up EHV Substation at Virar West Raises Concerns**
The Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL) was allocated a plot at Chikhal Dongre, Virar West, to build an Extra High Voltage (EHV) substation. However, despite this allocation happening around five years ago, the ownership of the plot still remains with the state government.
MSETCL officials have confirmed that the tender process for the EHV substation has already been initiated. They are also making efforts to formally take over the plot to proceed with the construction. Nevertheless, the project has been pending for over 12 years, raising eyebrows and concerns among locals and activists.
Activists allege that this prolonged delay has placed enormous stress on the existing feeders, which are currently operating at full capacity and frequently overloaded. They emphasize that numerous construction approvals — involving thousands of new meter connections in Virar — were granted based on the proposed EHV station. This makes the timely completion of the project crucial to meet the area’s growing residential and commercial power demand, according to a report by TOI.
Back in September 2013, MSETCL had planned a 220/22 kV substation at Chikhal Dongre, Virar West, with an estimated cost of around ₹12.34 crores. By January 2020, a 23,000 square meter plot was allocated for this purpose. However, the ownership formalities are yet to be completed, as stated by Yogesh Vaidya from the Swaraj Abhiyan NGO.
Vaidya claims that the delay in erecting new substations has resulted in excessive load on the existing infrastructure, primarily due to the surge in new connections in Virar West.
A senior MSETCL official has mentioned that a work order has been issued for the project. The process to obtain plot ownership is currently underway, and there are plans to commission the substation soon to alleviate the power stress in the area.
This upgrade is expected to significantly improve the power supply reliability and support the ongoing development needs in Virar West.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/palghar-12-year-delay-over-extra-high-voltage-substation-in-chikhal-dongre-activists-raise-concern
