High-tension lines pose serious threat to residents

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 24

High-tension electricity wires passing over houses pose a threat to residents.

Despite several incidents in the past, the authorities have failed to come up with a solution. PSPCL officials claim that these transmission wires have been passing over houses before their construction.

Power transmission lines pass over Gulmohar Avenue, Indira Colony, Shri Ram Avenue, Nagina Avenue, Tung Bala, Majitha Road, Mustafabad, Mohkampura, its adjoining localities on the Batala road, Maqboolpura and Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar locality. These residential areas have been established by the Amritsar Improvement Trust.

There are a number of loose electricity wires, tilted poles and web of wires on poles in the city.  In old city areas with narrow streets, electricity supply wires can be seen running parallel to the windows on upper floors.

The Johra Phatak area and its adjoining localities are also vulnerable to such wires. Residents have often requested the government to shift the wires, but to no avail.

A number of people have been killed and injured in various areas of the city in the past, but dangling power cables continue to haunt city residents.

Owners of the houses are facing problems as no one is ready to buy their houses due to high-tension wires. 

On repeated pleas of the residents to shift these wires, Power Department officials asked them to bear the shifting charges.

PSPCL Chief Engineer Sandeep Kumar Sood said they did not provide connections to houses which were beneath power transmission wires.