E-Paper
Who?s to blame? KESCo or people?
OVER 2500 transformers that are helping KESCo to supply power to the entire city are posing hazard to its 40 lakh citizens. It is happening due to lackadaisical attitude of the power company and ignorance of the masses about the danger of transformers that claimed several lives in the past. Since both KESCo and the citizens are ignoring the warning, accidents leading to loss of lives, are taking place.
OVER 2500 transformers that are helping KESCo to supply power to the entire city are posing hazard to its 40 lakh citizens.
It is happening due to lackadaisical attitude of the power company and ignorance of the masses about the danger of transformers that claimed several lives in the past. Since both KESCo and the citizens are ignoring the warning, accidents leading to loss of lives, are taking place.
In January 2004, a burning transformer at Dadamai crossing claimed five lives, including two children.
In another incident at the same transformer, a three-year-old girl Muskan lost her life in 2006 and her brother sustained serious burn injuries.
Recently, two children suffered burn injuries at Colonelganj. In the aftermath of every accident, the local residents and the Kesco officials have levelled allegations and counter allegations against each other.
The KESCo officials held people, living in the vicinity of transformers, responsible for frequent accidents. The KESCo officials said that the people were ignoring the signboards that are carrying warning.“In residential localities, especially in the densely populated areas, the people are not careful about the transformers,” said a senior KESCo official. “The locals even use the vacant areas around a transformer, flouting all norms,” the official added.
However, the people have a different tale to tell. Talking to HT, a resident of Dadamai crossing Iftikar Beg criticised the KESCo officials for the accident that took place in 2004.
“People even sneak into the places where transformers have been secured by iron grills,” the official said. But Beg said sparking and burning of a transformer had become a routine affair in Dadamai. “Lose cables hanging from a transformer poses hazard to threat to the life of local residents,” Beg added.
However, KESCo GM MP Tripathi said, “Despite stern warning, the road-side automobile shop owners hang tyres on the grills that surround the transformers.”
In such a situation, any major accident might take place, he added. While he blamed the people for such accidents, Beg said the accident that occurred in 2004 was the fallout of the KESCo negligence.
“The transformer’s oil was leaking. Despite several complaints, the KESCo officials did not take any step to repair the snag,” Beg said.
Another resident of Dadamai, Shariq, expressed same views. “KESCo officials never take complaints seriously, and it is only when an accident takes place, the officials of the power company swung into action,” he said.
