KOLKATA: Following the repeated incidents of electrocution deaths where victims touched live street poles, the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started identifying and repairing the defunct and damaged street light poles across Salt Lake.
BMC mayor Krishna Chakraborty said that contractors engaged by the civic body to look after the street light posts and other electric poles are identifying such defunct street poles and taking up repair work. “Our workers are pasting ‘Danger Don’t Touch’ stickers on the street poles to alert people not to touch any street pole. The electric boxes fixed on the poles and the feeder boxes are also being rechecked,” Chakraborty said.
The civic authorities have also started talking to cable line operators to see that the overhead cables are properly wrapped around and ask them to remove any line which has snapped. “There are several street poles that have been damaged due to haphazard wrapping of cable lines on them. The cable operators have been told to look into this,” said a civic official.
Locals said that in some places, the lid of the electric box fixed with the poles are seen to be left open, which could be dangerous during heavy rain. “These damaged or defunct street poles can be electricity carriers during rain. The civic authorities must identify and take corrective steps before any accident happens,” said another resident.
In the neighbouring New Town, NKDA authorities have also taken up measures to check whether the street poles are in proper condition.
“The engineers have been told to regularly inspect and check the street poles to ensure that they are in proper and safe condition,” said a NKDA official.
