Loose, tangled power wires on poles raise safety concerns ahead of monsoon in Doon

Dehradun: As Dehradun prepares for the monsoon, residents across several parts of the city have raised concerns over loose, hanging and tangled wires on electricity poles, warning that they could become hazardous during heavy rain and strong winds.A visit to areas, including Raipur Road, DL Road, Hathibarkala, Sahastradhara Road, Salawala and Chukkuwala found electricity poles with wires hanging loosely, broken cables and a tangle of electricity, telecom and internet wires. The issue was visible on both main roads and inside residential colonies.Satyapal Singh Rohilla, a resident of DL Road, said that while his area does not usually experience prolonged waterlogging, damaged or hanging wires could still snap and endanger passersby.Pointing to an electricity pole outside his house where several wires were hanging low, he said, “When smart meters were installed, wires were left hanging so low that even a child could tug at them and they’d dismantle. Authorities should inspect vulnerable poles and wires before the onset of the monsoon instead of waiting for complaints to be lodged.”In Hathibarkala, shopkeeper Sanjay Handuja said tree pruning – usually carried out before the monsoon to prevent branches from damaging power lines – was yet to be undertaken in the area.

“Authorities do this every year but that hasn’t happened till now,” he said.Residents of Chukkuwala also expressed concern over tangled wires. “Electricity cables share poles with telecom and internet wires. The jumble of cables makes maintenance difficult,” said Shekhar Gupta.Officials of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) maintained that preventive measures are in place. “Pruning of trees near power lines is done regularly. Live wires that break or hang are repaired immediately as they disrupt supply. We receive complaints and repair such faults immediately. Most of the other hanging wires are old, inactive cables or telecom cables. As for the large number of wires on the poles, work is underway to shift them underground.

Once that is done, the cables will be less prone to damage and many of these issues will be resolved,” said UPCL executive engineer Arun Kant.