The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed the Managing Director of Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM) to personally appear in the Court to explain the reasons for not relocating/shifting the electrical transformers on footpaths expeditiously despite identifying around 5,200 such transformers several months ago.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar passed the order while hearing a PIL petition filed by G.B. Athri, a retired Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force.
“In spite of sufficient time granted by this court, the shifting of transformers from footpath not yet started. The delay in shifting of transformers affects the public at large, as all these transformers are installed on the footpath and put the public at risk and also causing inconvenience,” the Bench observed in its order.
The BESCOM had in December last year, had told the Court that the coordination committee, set up in the directions of the High Court, involving officials of the BESCOM and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had identified 5,245 transformers on footpath that require relocation.
Stating that it would convert these transformers on footpath/storm-water drains into a special design transformer centre by erecting transformers on pre-fabricated structures in a phased manner across Bengaluru metropolitan area zone, the BESCOM had told the Court that two agencies have been identified to execute these works.
Though the Court on December 23, 2021 accepted BESCOMs plea to submit a detailed action plan with time a frame to relocate the transformers, it had directed BÉSCOM to start process of shifting/relocating the transformer even before submitting action plan to the court.
However, when the petition came up for hearing, the Court found that no effective progress was made in relocation/shifting of such transformers.
