Residents demand power infrastructure be mended before summer

Unsecured electric panel boxes pose a danger to the passersby and schoolchildren in Sector 28, residents said

NOIDA: Concerned over the dilapidated power infrastructure in different areas of the city, the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association (FONRWA) has demanded that repair works be taken up on a priority ahead of summers.

Officials at power distribution company, PVVNL, Noida, said that the discom is working on the repair work in different parts of the city and the issues raised will also be addressed (REUTERS/representational image)

During a meeting on Monday, residents and members of the association pointed out the shoddy state of electricity infrastructure in various areas including in Sector 15, 20, and 31, among other places.

It was alleged that electric poles, transformers, etc., have become old and rusted while no efforts have been undertaken to repair the panel boxes and feeder junctions that are also in abysmal state.

Besides, unsecured electric panel boxes pose a danger to the passersby and schoolchildren in Sector 28, the residents said.

Stressing upon the need to urgently take measures, they said the issues should be addressed in time and a better power supply be ensured to pre-empt local faults.

Residents from Sector 15, 20, 31, 82, 93 and Sector 122, have been complaining for long about the poor state of electric poles, transformers, power supply junctions, meter boxes, low-tension power cables, etc, that need a recheck, repair and replacement, said general secretary, FONRWA, KK Jain.

Most of the residents from these sectors on Monday complained of electricity-related problems, said Jain, adding that they alleged not much has changed despite meeting with authorities.

“The power infrastructure has been lying unattended for a long time here. The state of power poles, power cables, etc, is poor and nothing much has been done to address it,” said Uma Shankar, a resident of Sector 20.

Association members said that these Sectors are heavily populated with several other sectors and locations falling under the ambit of a particular sector. “The localities are mostly thickly populated with Sector 122 having a population of around 25,000. Similarly, Sector 82 has 5 RWAs under it”, said Jain.

Pawan Yadav, a resident of Sector 28 rued, “It’s been more than a year since the panel boxes (electrical panels) incorporating wires and switches, opposite Vishva Bharti school in the area are unsecured. The area sees a heavy movement of commuters while schoolchildren pass through this place, posing danger to people who may come in contact with these any day.”

Members of FONRWA said that they had also raised the concerns before the managing director (MD) of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), Chaitra V, recently.

Officials at PVVNL, Noida, meanwhile, said that the discom is working on the repair work in different parts of the city and the issues raised will also be addressed.

Executive engineer Shivam Tripathi shared that repair and maintenance works are already proposed in some places including Sector 26, 67 Sector 79.

“We are working on replacing the existing power infrastructure here by taking underground shifting of overhead power lines, increasing capacity of power substations, installing new transformers, among other things,” he said.

“Besides, major works are set to be taken up under the ₹122 crore project of centre governments’ Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), in both urban and rural Noida,” the officer added.