BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Friday directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to state whether it had granted permission to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited to install transformers on footpaths.A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum passed the order after hearing a PIL filed by Wing Commander G B Athri (retired) seeking directives to relocate transformers and other electrical installations on footpaths so that pedestrians do not face danger.
Referring to photographs, the court said prima face it appeared that the BBMP has control over the footpaths and it is not evident whether permission under the Indian Telegraph Act and Electricity Act was obtained by Bescom from BBMP before installing transformers on footpaths. The court also said that it wasn’t known if safety measures were taken into consideration before installing the transformers.
The petitioner had alleged that Bescom has encroached footpaths and storm-water drains within the BBMP limits by installing transformers. Of the 8,659 distribution transformer centres located on roads and footpaths in Bengaluru, Bescom has identified 4,035 causing hindrance to public and will replace them with newly-designed transformers. As of March 30, 2020, 3,196 transformers have already been replaced with the newly-designed ones.