PSPCL uses ‘jugaad’ to keep electricity running in city

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 27

The word ‘jugaad’ best explains the technology used by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to keep electricity supply running. At least it seems the way when one looks at broken electricity poles, supported by other tilted poles in the Medical Enclave area here.

At least four electricity pillars are either tilted or broken at the base. An area resident, Dr Ranbir Singh Pannu said, “A few of these pillars are in the middle of the road. An unknow driver hit his car in one of these pillars on April 23 night.”

Residents are demanding that pillars, which are on roads, should be shifted to footpaths to prevent accidents. In the recent accident, the impact was so huge that it broke the reinforced concrete while the pillar still stands on steel rods inserted inside.

Earlier, in April last year, a person had died after a reinforced concrete cement (RCC) electricity poll had fallen on him on Mall Road. The accident was caused by truck, when loose overhead electricity wires had got entangled with its roof, when it was passing underneath these.

A retired official of the Power Corporation said, “Instead of RCC poles, the corporation should use steel poles. Most of the RCC poles are not manufactured as per the required specifications.”

The official said, “If the RCC poles are to be used, then steel rods running through their entire length are must.” Most RCC poles used these days had thin wired mesh instead of steel rods, he added.

Tilting and broken electricity poles can also be seen in many other areas of the city. Many localities in the old city area are also facing problems due to cob-webs of wires near electricity poles. “Most transformers and electricity poles look like as if cob-webs weaved out of electricity wires. These are unsafe, besides they do not even look good,” said Kewal Ram, a resident of the Guru Bazaar area.