CHENNAI: Sagging overhead power cables and severely corroded electricity poles in Girija Nagar, Ernavoor, have been a safety hazard to residents and schoolchildren for more than 6 years. It’s especially hazardous now that the monsoon has set in.

Residents along Girija Nagar Main Road and five adjoining streets lamented that power lines frequently sag and snap during heavy rain and strong winds, with live wires falling to the ground. They have been asking the conversion of the 28-year-old overhead (OH) network into underground (UG) cables, but their appeals have yielded no results.

GV Subramaniam, president, Girija Nagar People’s Welfare Association, said, “Residents have approached ministers, MLA and senior officials of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) over the past two years, but no concrete steps have been taken.”

The danger was underscored by two recent incidents. M Rajendra Prasath, vice-president of the association, said a snapped mainline cable electrocuted and killed a dog nearly two months ago. Two weeks ago, at around 2.30 pm, a live phase wire snapped shortly after schoolchildren had passed the spot. Residents rushed out to alert pedestrians and prevent anyone from approaching the fallen wire.

With 300 residences and a private school, Girija Nagar Main Road is particularly vulnerable, as it’s also a major route for pedestrians and children returning home.

“A meeting with the TNEB chairman about a year-and-a-half ago, attended by Ward 4 councillor R Jayaraman, had also ended with assurances of swift action that were not fulfilled,” he added.

In that petition, they had sought conversion of OH lines to UG lines in Girija Nagar, Brindavan Nagar, Ramanathapuram, Bhajani Kovil Street, Magaliyamman Street, Paraneeswarar Nagar, VP Nagar, Jyothi Nagar, Shanmugapuram, TS Gopal Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Balaji Nagar, Mahalakshmi Nagar, Mullai Nagar West, and Charles Nagar in Ward 4 of the Tiruvottiyur zone. A new petition has been submitted to the newly elected MLA and TNPDCL officials about the same.

A senior TNPDCL official told DT Next, “Overhead cables in the Tondiarpet division, including Girija Nagar and nearby areas such as Manali, Manali New Town and Sadayankuppam, had yet to be converted into underground cables. Replacing them in these areas will take time. Meanwhile, the department will tighten the sagging cables in Girija Nagar.”