Lalganj residents want electric poles removed from road

NAGPUR:Residents of Lalganj have demanded action against officials of power franchisee SNDL and Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) electrical department over their inability to remove the electric poles and three transformers from the middle of a road. These poles are creating a problem for the residents. “An ultimatum has been given to both. If they do not act, residents would launch a protest.Both the departments have blamed each other but no work has been done,” a group of residents said.
A delegation of residents met the municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar who assured to look into the matter. “Now we will be moving higher authorities. The high court has already ordered removal of all the poles but the officials are ignoring the court orders too,” residents said.
Once Maskasath flyover is ready, it will be difficult to handle the traffic in the place because of these structures causing obstruction. Many accidents are taking place here. In one case an electric pole was knocked down by a truck resulting in no power supply for 24 hours to nearby homes and shops as well as obstruction of road for the entire day. NMC has widened the road but did not shift the poles. They are over 25 years old and even a minor hit can cause them to fall and create dangers for everybody, residents said.
The traffic police too are not bothered about this road even though heavy vehicles ply on it. These poles could soon lead to someone’s death.
“When we approached the SNDL officials, they said they would remove the poles in two months but it has been three months and they haven’t done anything,” said a resident. They have now decided to file a contempt petition against both the agencies (SNDL and NMC) in high court. Eight years ago, the road from Raut Chowk to Dahi Bazaar was widened. Almost 30 electric poles that should have been shifted still remain on the road.
The residents have asked the officials to complete the work in two weeks or quit from their position. Despite repeated attempts, NMC’s executive engineer in-charge of electrical department, Sanjay Jaiswal, was not available for comments.
IN A NUTSHELL
* Some electric poles and three transformers, standing right in the middle of roads, pose grave danger
* Neither SNDL nor NMC have shifted them despite several requests
* Aggrieved residents plan to take to streets to draw attention on authorities
* High court has already ordered removal of all the poles but officials are ignoring the court orders too
(With inputs from Ankita Dolai)