The poorly-managed, dangling uncovered electricity wires are posing grave risk of life and property to the residents of a street near Tahli Mori Chowk in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Each year in the monsoon season, these high-voltage wires catch fire and spark fear among the residents of the street no. 1 as often fire breaks out due to short-circuit in the rainy season. They have to take ‘self-defence’ measures like avoiding physical contact with the walls or electricity pylons. Water is accumulated in the street and it also fuels fear of being electrocuted among the passers by.
But it is not the rainy season alone that causes difficulty, high -roof vehicles also multiply their problems.
These electricity wires that are intertwined like the web of a spider are easily broken with a slight push of a running vehicle or fast blowing wind.
The local IESCO men have visited the street on a number of occasions but each time they do formal ‘dressing’ of these wires with a scotch tape and return.
An application was also filed by the residents with the Sub-Division Officer (SDO) of Tariqabad but one year has passed but no action has been taken.
If a permanent solution like replacing the old wires with the new ones is not taken at the earliest, this may cause some mishap and the residents have made it clear that no one but IESCO officials will be responsible for that.
There are a large number of houses in this particular street, besides, around 50 electricity fans and a number of air conditioners installed in the Allah Wali Masjid in the same street also cause huge load on the old, rusty wires and often they catch fire.
They have requested the IESCO authorities to replace them with new wires as it is their duty to provide security from power-related risks to the residents.
An official of the IESCO when contacted said the replacement would cause expenses and they were short of money. We have not been able to permanently solve this issue as we are short of funds, he said requesting anonymity.
