Tilted electric poles pose danger to life

Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, April 8

Occasional accidents due to the fall of tilted electric poles on roads have failed to wake up the authorities to take action.

A tilted streetlight pole near Lawrence Road intersection along Nehru Shopping Complex could prove to be a nemesis of any unfortunate commuter.

Naresh Johar, a senior citizen, said this was not an isolated tilted pole and such infirm poles could be spotted in various parts and roads of the city. “What requires is the presence of mind of commuters, which most of them have abandoned. As people are more pre-occupied with their grinding daily job, most of them do not cast a glance on precarious infrastructure,” he said.

Citing a recent instance, he said, Dr Brij Mohan Singh, along with his wife Parminder Kaur, were riding a motorcycle when they were struck by a falling pole in Nikka Singh Colony on March 13. Both of them sustained injuries.

Another alert city resident SB Singh said, tilted electric poles could be disastrous in commercial areas and could cause accidents anytime. However, the PSPCL authorities are indifferent towards these shortcomings.

“In this digital age, when promptness has become a watchword of work efficiency, delay is like a medieval trait,” Singh said.

PSPCL public relation officer Such Lal said: “Officials keep a watch on rickety poles in their areas. In case of detecting defective pole, they keep a record and replace it as soon as possible.”