Jalandhar: An electric pole in the Sabzi Mandi area on Leather Complex Road in Jalandhar is on the verge of collapse, causing distress to residents and traders.
The pole, bent under the weight of high-voltage wires, is located on a main road where hundreds of people commute daily.
Locals allege that despite repeated complaints to the Electricity Department (PSPCL) and the concerned JE, no concrete action has been taken. Yesterday’s accident has already caused significant financial losses, but the department is waiting for a major loss of life.
The electric pole is completely broken and is only supported by power cables. Local resident Jagdish Verma and other shopkeepers said that the pole had been leaning slowly for the past few days, but yesterday it completely melted and broke. The situation is so dire that it could fall on passersby or visitors to the market at any time.
Locals are furious
Locals are deeply angry with the administration. Eyewitnesses say that an accident occurred in this same area last night, in which a truck struck a building, causing significant damage, damaging televisions and other electrical appliances in homes. Despite this, the electricity department remains inactive. High-voltage wires pass over the pole. If this pole were to fall, it would not only create a major power crisis, but anyone caught in its grip would surely die.
The administration is offering only assurances
Traders working in the market said they have called the concerned JE and department officials several times and even sent photos, but they receive only assurances. Officials say the work will be done, but the reality is that the pillar still stands, a death trap. People say that hundreds of women and children come here daily to buy vegetables. Will the government and department only wake up after someone dies?
During road construction, soil was removed from near the pillars’ foundations, further weakening their grip. Two such pillars are in a precarious position, perched on the edge of a dirty drain. Local residents have warned of large-scale protests if these pillars are not replaced soon. For now, these broken pillars remain a living testimony to the administration’s negligence and the cheap price they pay for the lives of ordinary people.