Hescom urged to replace old poles

Hubballi: In the four districts under Hubli Electric Supply Company limited's (Hescom) purview, there are 670 wooden and 5,988 iron electric poles. The putrefied wooden poles and the iron poles, most of them covered by a thick film of rust, appear to be crying for attention.These poles, laid many years ago, are in a deplorable condition. With the onset of the monsoons, people in Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri and Karwar districts fear that the poles might collapse completely.
While the Hescom had earlier promised to have all these poles replaced with cement poles, the execution has been very slow. Only those poles damaged beyond repair have been replaced so far.
Despite findings of a survey revealing the need to replace over 50 lakh poles, no action appears to have been taken. "Many poles in our village look like they might fall anytime," a farmer in Kusugal village said. Another farmer, Somappa Kachavi, lashed out at the corporation for failing to realise a scheme drawn up many years ago.
Chief engineer for Hubballi zone of Hescom, R Rajappa said all wooden and iron poles would be replaced in a month. "We have already replaced poles that have collapsed accidentally. We will replace all poles soon. "