Transmission tower near Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway a public safety hazard

The transmission tower takes up the bulk of the service lane, leaving only a narrow passage for commuters. The space is so narrow that even a minor unanticipated deviation can cause vehicles to crash straight into the tower.

A transmission tower, located in the middle of the service lane from Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road towards the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, endangers the lives of commuters taking this route.

The NHAI had submitted a request to the Haryana government in 2016 to relocate high tension wires and power transmission towers that are coming in the way of construction of flyovers and underpasses. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The transmission tower takes up the bulk of the lane, leaving only a narrow passage for commuters to manoeuvre past. The space is such that even a minor unanticipated deviation can cause vehicles to crash straight into the tower.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), on its part, has barricaded the perimeter of the tower but residents said the barricading is not enough to avert a tragedy.

“Besides heavy vehicles, light vehicles may inadvertently collide with the tower and catch fire. I understand that authorities are decongesting traffic by constructing flyovers and underpasses on the expressway but they can’t leave commuters at God’s mercy,” Ashok Saran, a resident of Sukhrali, said.

Although traffic police officials stated that so far, no mishap has occurred because of the tower jutting out onto the road, residents said it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

“The stretch is poorly lit. A lot of heavy commercial vehicles access the service lane for turning towards Udyog Vihar. Light vehicles often try to overtake trucks on the stretch. Without proper light, the danger of vehicles colliding into the tower is very real,” Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Sector 17, said.

Last year, the NHAI had submitted a request to the state government to relocate high tension wires and power transmission towers that are coming in the way of construction of flyovers and underpasses at Iffco Chowk, Signature Tower, Rajiv Chowk and Hero Honda Chowk.

NHAI officials said the high tension cables and transmission towers belong to the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) and they need the electricity distributor’s assistance to remove or relocate any power utilities.

The delay in shifting of towers and high tension cables had also proved to be a hindrance in construction of the U-turn flyover near ABW tower.

HVPN, however, said that the ball is in the NHAI’s court.

“We have given the necessary approval to the NHAI and submitted our estimates for relocating or removing high tension cables and towers at Iffco Chowk. The NHAI is now responsible for executing the work,” HVPN superintending engineer Anil Yadav said.

NHAI project director Ashok Sharma said all work related to shifting of power utilities around Iffco Chowk will be completed by December 31.