Lethargy of KSEB, PWD proves costly to public

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It seems the authorities are waiting for something untoward to happen before they act. The lethargy maintained by KSEB and PWD officials in relocating a 11 KV transformer which stands almost in the middle of the state highway near Nalanchira is posing a threat to motorists.The whole issue erupted after the PWD started widening the Kesavadaspuram-Nalanchira stretch of the state highway. Before the renovation of the road, the transformer was situated on ‘puramboke’ land on the roadside. But the renovation and widening left the transformer stranded almost in  the middle of the road.Even though the road was constructed by the PWD, it is the KSEB’s job to  relocate the transformer to a safer location, said PWD officials. "The transformer, which is now standing in the middle of the road, is clearly a threat to the life of unsuspecting people. We are fully aware of the threat and want to resolve the issue as soon as possible. But the KSEB is quite slow in acting,’’ said a PWD official.But the KSEB officials are not budging. They attribute the delay in the relocation to objections raised by the public in acquiring land for installing the transformer. The KSEB was ready to shift the transformer to the adjacent ‘puramboke’ land. But the owner of the property adjacent to the plot approached the court and obtained a stay.This had halted the relocation of the transformer to a safe location, said KSEB assistant executive engineer Anitha G Nair, who is overseeing the relocation of transformers and electric posts from the road to the adjacent areas."We have never been slow to act. The 11 KV transformer standing almost in the middle of the road is raising huge safety issues. We have moved Court for getting the stay revoked,’’ Anitha said.As the blame game between the two government departments continues  unabated, the public seems to have lost patience over the issue. Sreekantan Nair, a resident of the nearby Puliyoor Gardens and executive member of the local residents’ association, said three accidents had occurred last week due to the ill-positioned transformer."Though these accidents were not of a serious nature, we cannot underestimate the situation,’’ he said. Hundreds of motorists vehicles use the road during night time, often avoiding the transformer at the last minute. What if a driver misses the warning lamp and rams into the transformer?”  Nair asked.

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