Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Electric wires, hanging low in commercial area like MP Nagar, New Market, 10 Number Market, are posing hazard to hundreds of people who visit these places. Despite regulations mandating that electric wires on poles should be at least 12 feet above ground, urban development and negligence have caused wires in these areas to drop significantly, posing a severe risk to people.
At MP Nagar’s Press Complex, a dangerously low-hanging wire measures approximately 6 feet above the road, while another near the district court’s main gate hangs at 7 feet above the ground.
Similarly, a bunch of wires in front of old RTO office is hanging so low that it is supported on its boundary wall. Madhya Pradesh Madhya Ksheta Vidyut Vitaran (central discom) public relations officer Manoj Dwivedi told Free Press that private road development agencies were responsible for hanging wires.
“These agencies are responsible for raising the height of electric poles during redevelopment projects. Central discom writes letters to private agencies about such issues. We will inspect these low-hanging wires and if found dangerously low, immediate action will be taken to fix them,” Dwivedi added.
The low-hanging wires remain a stark reminder of the potential dangers posed by poor coordination and oversight during urban redevelopment, underscoring the urgent need for intervention. A local shop owner at Press Complex said, “This wire has been hanging for over a year. We constantly warn visitors but no action has been taken by the authorities so far.”
‘Road devpt agencies should bear cost’
Central discom officials said road development agencies should either bear the cost of raising the poles or carry out the task under discom’s 5% supervision fee. Bhopal Development Authority is responsible to take any action against those agencies that do not raise the height after redevelopment of any road in the city.
