VISAKHAPATNAM: The sagging live electricity wires hang like the ‘Sword of Damocles’ for the residents of the old town. They have been living in fear of electrocution as the high tension (HT) wires hang loose along their houses. The locals say that the issue of HT wires has been a cause for concern for over two decades now.
Chakali Veedhi, Rangireeju Veedhi, interior colonies of Poorna Market, Kurupam Market, Burujupeta and a few other colonies in the wards 21 to 26 of the One Town and some areas in Two Town too, have been facing the same issue for decades. The wires hang at a striking distance close to the houses, which are built in small areas in the old town. To top it, people even hang clothes near the wires on terraces and when asked about the lurking danger of wet clothes coming in contact with live wires is that they are habituated to it.
“There are around 250 houses in the Chakali Veedhi. Since the interior areas are congested, electricity poles stand very close to houses and the wires hang loose at low height. We can touch the wires while going to the first floor of the house. Each and every second, we are on our toes,” said Satish Kumar, a resident of Chakali Veedhi.
Even the main road stretch from Daspalla Hotel to the Old Post Office junction has low height electricity poles, whose wires hang down loose. The situation is worse for the residents of the interior areas in the old town where many anganwadi centres, government schools, general stores, tiffin centres and churches are located.
No End to Nightmare of Interior Colony citizens
The locals say that during rain or power cuts especially in the nights, they face horrible experience. The residents are worried about their children, who are unaware of the threat if the latter inadvertently touch the wires. “During rains, some wires get snapped and hang dangerously and even touch the ground. There are a lot of unused wires and we cannot know which is a live wire. We are habituated to call the linemen after a heavy rain. The same situation prevails even when there is gale,” said P Uma, a housewife and resident of Rangireeju Veedhi. Many electricity poles lie dangerously twisted or tilted, spilling out the wires. The poles have a number of wires - live and unused. Transformers in ward 22 are located on the roadside without any fencing or boundary wall, posing serious threat. “Once a wire fell in the drain. Worried, we informed linemen, who came and confirmed that it was an unused wire,” said M Aadi Narayana, a techie from Burujupeta area. “We have been requesting the officials to take up a drive against such wires but nothing has changed for years. The poles are decades old,” lamented Aadi Narayana. One Town inspector A Srinivasa Rao said that though there were no untoward incidents in the last couple of years, the threat of hanging live wires looms large.
In danger zone
Chakali Veedhi
Rangireeju Veedhi
Colonies of Poorna Market
Kurupam Market
Burujupeta