Ludhiana: High-tension cables snap, fall on houses; electrical devices ruined

The intensity of the impact not only led to short circuits but also caused visible cracks in the walls of multiple houses, highlighting the seriousness of the situation

In a yet another display of city’s crumbling electricity infrastructure, panic gripped a migrant colony in Jamalpur on Monday afternoon when high-tension electricity wires suddenly snapped and fell directly onto several residential houses, damaging electronic appliances worth lakhs of rupees.

This is not the first time when the city has witnessed such incidents due to dangling wires during monsoon. (HT Photo)

According to locals, the incident occurred around 12 pm when high-tension wires, which were connected to an electricity tower located in close proximity to the houses, suddenly broke and came into direct contact with the rooftops and walls of several homes creating a firecracker like noise. The intensity of the impact not only led to short circuits but also caused visible cracks in the walls of multiple houses, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.

Residents further pointed that a major tragedy has been averted which could lead to a fatal accident. Voicing their angst, residents said that many a times, they have raised their complaints with these loose low lying high tension wires with the power department but they fail to take timely cognisance of it, which could have avoided this whole incident.

Notably, this is not the first time when the city has witnessed such incidents due to dangling wires during monsoon. Last year, an eight-year-old boy died after he suffered electric shock while standing in the waterlogged street near his house in Chauri Sadak. It was suspected that naked hanging wires were submerged in the stagnant rainwater which resulted in the child getting electrocuted.

Explaining the gravity of the situation, a senior PSPCL official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a tangled web of electricity wires hanging dangerously low is an evident picture in almost every part of Ludhiana.

“During strong winds or heavy rainfall, these wires often spark dangerously. Even during periods of high power demand, multiple sparking incidents occur, sometimes leading to fatal cases. But as the city is extremely unplanned and densely populated, it is difficult to completely fix this issue,” the official added.

When contacted, Amrinder Singh, executive engineer (XEN) of the Focal Point division, acknowledged the mishap and said, “The matter falls under the responsibility of the local unit of Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL). However, following the incident, the wires have been immediately removed to prevent any further damage.”