Live wires pose major threat in the city

The recent electrocution of a pet dog in Thiruvanmiyur has brought to light the serious threat that live wires pose to life during the monsoon. Two people, who were walking on the road just then, had a narrow escape while other residents, including children, who were about to take the same route, avoided doing so.

Two days after the incident, the authorities swung into action and tried to fix the problem at South Avenue, Thiruvanmiyur. “The electricity has been cut since the morning and they replaced one junction box on Tuesday,” says Anandh Thyagarajan, resident of South Avenue. “There are supposed to be five junction boxes on the stretch, but we don’t know when they will be fixed. And there are live wires everywhere on the road. High tension wires should be a few feet beneath the ground,” he adds.

M Lakshmi, the pet’s owner, says, “As soon as the incident happened, we informed the local police, but the death of a dog due to electrocution did not merit serious attention from them,” she says. Since it was a Sunday, they couldn’t get the Electricity Board (EB) officials on the phone and later went to the EB office.

These incidents are common during the monsoon. There are several EB boxes in the city that have high-tension wires hanging out of them, posing a danger to pedestrians and motorists. The EB pillar boxes near Dasaprakash bus stand in Egmore are in a dilapidated state. The one on Millers Road is unstable and the one near Egmore bus stand also looks very vulnerable. These are just a few.

“Poonamallee High Road is one of the most crowded stretches in the city. There are high-tension wires near the Aminjikarai signal. Hundreds of pedestrians use the road and the fact that there are many hospitals there makes it even more crucial. Residents have complained of feeling minor electric shocks, but no action has been taken,” S. Senthil, a shop owner in Aminjikarai, says. EB officials were unavailable for comment on the issue.