CHENNAI: It created much uproar when about ten days ago a man was killed due to collapse of an electric pole at Chitlapakkam. The Tamil Nadu government blamed it on a rashly driven lorry. However, repeated incidents of such accidents due to electric cables in the locality since then have caused much apprehension in the residents of this locality.
On Monday evening, a contract labourer of Tangedco suffered an electric shock while repairing a cable at 1st street in Thirumal Nagar. However,Tangedco officials said that such an incident was not reported.
Residents said he was immediately rushed to the hospital after he became unconscious after suffering an electric shock directly from a low tension wire. "The crowbar he was using to dig into the ground was almost bent in half because of the impact. Also in another incident a live wire snapped in Ramanar street on Monday evening. Luckily no one was hurt," said Sunil, a member of Chitlapakkam Rising.
A few hours before this, an electric wire snapped and fell on a motorist but as it was a neutral wire, they escaped unhurt. Since August many residents had raised several complaints about this wire which was hanging dangerously low in Pamban Swamigal street, but it wasn't rectified. "Around 45 days ago I raised a complaint to both Tangedco and the local police about this danger. And five days ago I had complained again to raise the wire's height. Only after an accident happens officials rush to make amends," said Pallavi
Kannadasan, a resident.
This comes less than a week after a live wire fell on a cow electrocuting it at Ashtalakshmi street. Residents alleged that they had to approach the local police as Tangedco officials did not follow up on their complaints.
Residents from Muthulakshmi Nagar association approached Tangedco officials and submitted a list of 21 damaged poles and wires in Muthulakshmi and Nehru Nagar that need to be replaced.
A Tangedco official said that around 20 contract workers were hired to help with the extra work. "We have already replaced 50 damaged poles in Chitlapakkam and installed stay wires wherever necessary. On the request of residents,we are changing more poles and wires," added the official,