Transformers, loose wires pose danger to pedestrians

Neeraj Bagga

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 4

Electric transformers, loose and taped electric wires on footpaths of city roads pose a danger to pedestrians. Unmindful of the risky paraphernalia of the power supply, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) authorities have never bothered to secure power lines.

Power transformers installed by the PSPCL at low height with loosely hanging cables at various places in the city pose a risk to the lives of human and animals. A city resident Sanjay Budhiraj said installation of transformers at low height tantamount to flouting of norms. He said many transformers were installed at height of 2.5 feet from the ground level with no enclosure for the safety of human beings and animals.

Citing an example he said two transformers were installed at 2.5 feet from the ground level with no enclosure for any ones safety at the district shopping centre, B block, Ranjit Avenue. He pointed out, “More glaring is the fact that even naked cables with fuse wire are just five feet from the ground level.”

It is not an isolated case. Transformers installed in a similar manner can be spotted at various residential and commercial pockets of the city. Meanwhile, as per the rules of electric installations, a transformer’s enclosure is to be installed to prevent the entrance of small animals and foreign objects. Budhiraj said, “Transformers installed at public places must be impenetrable to foreign objects. Units must be fenced in a manner that prevents accessibility by the public or animals.”

Even transformers installed on the electric polls have naked cables with exposed fuse wire, which are as low as six feet. The arrangement makes it convenient for a lines man to mend the fuse without using the ladder in case it is blown.

“Dangling wires, open cable joints, bare streetlight cables and transformers set up at a low height are putting the lives of residents in danger,” said another resident Pawan Kumar Sharma, who is also general secretary of the NGO, Punjab Sudhar Sabha.

The problem has been persisting in several parts of the city for years, but the authorities have not bothered to look into the lapses. Many times, incidents of electrocution in which people sustain serious injuries are reported.

Similarly, the problem of high tension wires in some of the localities is a serious issue, which affects the residents. Although high tension wires were removed from some areas, the problem still exists in several localities.