BBMP, Bescom get into action, to move all dangerous cables into underground ducts

BENGALURU: Following the huge public outcry after the electrocution of a woman and her child in Kadugodi on Sunday morning, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now decided to shift all cables and wires lying on footpaths and hanging overhead into underground ducts.

Palike Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said they will soon call for a tender to remove all dangerous cables and wires and shift them into underground ducts. Work on removing all illegal cables is already under way, he pointed out.

The footpath in Kadugodi were a woman and her child were electrocuted on Sunday morning.

The power utility Bescom was largely blamed for the death of a woman and her child who came in contact with a live wire while walking on the footpath and were burnt alive. After initially accepting to lapses, Bescom started pointing fingers at BBMP.

Cables and wires lying dangerously on the footpaths and hanging loosely overhead pose a threat to pedestrians.

According to Bescom general manager (quality, standards and safety) S T Shantamallappa, the power utility has shifted all overhead power lines underground near Hope Farm except for a 150 metre stretch where the incident occurred.

Bescom general manager (quality, standards and safety) S T Shantamallappa said they were waiting for BBMP’s plans on underpass construction.

“The BBMP has proposed to build an underpass at that place and we had kept the work on the 150-metre stretch pending as we needed to know the direction in with the Palike will take up work. If we move the power lines underground now, we may have to dig it up again when they build the underpass”, he pointed out. Bescom has been waiting for details for the last six months, he claimed.

The Bescom has targeted to lay underground cables running into 8,937 km and has so far laid 6,905 km of cables while 2,032 km of underground cables remain to be laid in its jurisdiction.