Low-hanging cables put people in a state of tizzy

Vengal Rao Nagar: Pedestrians and motorists beware, danger dangles above you, in form of cables and high-tension wires which lie low, in in several internal lanes and roads of the Vengal Rao Nagar division. Four innocents paid with their lives in as many years, due to government indifference to set right the issue and hang the wires tight, well above the road. TSPDCL is even unable to relocate an electric pole for four decades from the compound of a house located at GTS Colony near Gandhi statue.

"It's been 45 years I have been residing in the colony. Hundreds of complaints were made to remove the pole from my house compound. Many leaders promised rectification measures but nothing is implemented so far. My daughter could not send my grandchildren home fearing of the electrical pole inside the compound. I demand as a last wish that it be removed from the compound," pleaded Kamalama, a residing near Gandhi statue. The residents are struck with fear of electrocution should the low-hanging wires snap and fall to the ground. Rahamath Nagar, GTS Colony, Internal lanes of Gandhi Statue towards Krishna Kanth Park, 2 lanes of Vengal Rao Nagar and a few streets of Kalyan Nagar Ventures are facing difficulties due to low-lying HT wires. Rahamath Nagar is the worst affected area in respect of basic electricity infrastructure.

Speaking on the issue, Kilari Manohar, the Corporator, said, "We have already presented a proposal regarding the low-lying electric wires and also took up the issue with KTR sir, demanding at least basic rectifications in internal lanes. It would hardly cost Rs 1.5 crore to modify the entire electric wiring system in the division. Still we are waiting for sanction of funds. I sincerely request the government to identify the issue with utmost emergency to save hundreds of lives."

"An 8-year-old girl died after she came in touch with a live wire on the terrace of her house. In this area, around 4-5 deaths were observed and also a goat got electrocuted and died recently. If we couldn't fix the issue with utmost concern, more lives would be lost," says Rajveer Kalsa, the president of Rahamath Nagar welfare association.

"Poor management by electricity providers is another reason for this kind of unnatural deaths. Building public awareness and taking due care of proper wire installation should be the main responsibility of providers of electricity," said Vani Reddy, a techie with Tech Mahindra.