Overview
- Seven unions protesting restructuring, parallel licences, tariff‑based competitive bidding and alleged substation outsourcing halted their 72‑hour walkout on October 10 after discussions with senior MSEDCL officials.
- The state had invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, declared the action illegal and warned of penalties including termination for recent hires, contract cancellations and suspensions.
- MSEDCL said operations continued with about 62% of employees reporting and more than 20,000 external technicians deployed, supported by emergency control rooms monitoring supply round the clock.
- Senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Abha Shukla and MSEDCL CMD Lokesh Chandra, reiterated that no privatisation is planned and rejected claims about outsourcing operations at 329 substations.
- Residents in parts of Navi Mumbai reported prolonged outages and alleged sabotage during the protest, though the utility said power was restored and teams remained on standby to resolve complaints.