High-tension wires a threat in residential areas

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 2

The passing of high-tension lines on the roofs of residential and commercial complexes have increased the plight of residents, especially slums, ever since they had electricity in different colonies of Dehradun.

The residents have started expanding their residential and commercial buildings with additional storey that welcomes untoward incidents after Uttarakhand came into existence.

The residents construct residential and commercial establishments under high-tension lines without any approval from the authority concerned.

Speaking to The Tribune, Madhusudan, an official spokesperson of UPCL said UPCL was working to shift high-tension lines from densely populated areas to least populated areas, but non-availability of adequate piece of land was hampering efforts of the department.

He expressed concern that high-tension lines were laid before the inception of state and rapid urbanisation was the main reason for the construction of buildings under high-tension lines.

It is worth mentioning that several cases of electrocution have been reported from time to time from different parts of the state.

Department officials said 400 KV, 132 KV and 66 KV lines have been laid down by the department before the inception of the state and residents built their houses afterwards.

Department officials said special focus would be laid down by the department to sensitise masses living in the remote areas of the state.

Sources confirmed that a legislator, state government and UPCL bear expenses for shifting of high-tension lines in the ratio of 30, 30 and 40.

Among the worst-affected areas in terms of high tension lines were Khurbura, Patel Nagar, Bindal, Niranjanpur etc.

Sources said though the government had initiated several efforts to regularise unauthorised colonies in the city, it had done nothing in securing them from high-tension wires that passed through their localities.