MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has directed the TANGEDCO to remove all unauthorised poles and other installations in Madurai district, especially those along the Mattuthavani-Othakadai national highway, and file a report on or before November 25.
A bench of justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan gave the direction recently while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by A Radhakrishnan of Salem.
Radhakrishnan stated that in addition to high density electricity poles and street lamp posts, many unauthorised poles carrying cable wires are being installed in various places in Madurai.
Such poles and wires, which usually hang low, pose huge risk to the general public who use the roads and pedestrian walks, he added. Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) empowers executive magistrates to issue conditional orders to remove such public nuisances and unlawful obstructions. But the authorities do not take any action against the same, he claimed and sought the court's intervention.
The judges directed the director and chief engineer of distribution division of TANGEDCO to inspect the high-density electric lines installed in Madurai district and remove the unauthorised poles and other installations, except the electricity wires and file a report on or before November 25, failing which they should appear in person before the court.
