Jhumpura: At a time when low lying live wires are being raised up in the wake up the Ganjam bus mishap which claimed ten lives, NESCO officials seem to be least bothered about a half-bent electric utility pole just at the entry point of Jhumpura bus stand in Keonjhar district.
The electric pole has been in a precarious condition for days. Because of the pole being in half-bent position, the 11 KV wires stretched over the pole are lying low, putting people’s life in harm’s way.
“We are in fear and more so after the Ganjam bus mishap. We are yet to understand why the electricity department is not taking any steps to fix the problem,” some local residents alleged.
Every day buses, big and small ones, come into the bus stand. The buses that have loads over them are passing just below the electric wires. “The possibility of Ganjam like bus mishap here cannot be ruled out. NESCO seems to be waiting for a mishap to change the pole,” some shopkeepers and bus staff observed.
“We have been asking NESCO officials to replace the damage pole with a good one, but to no avail,” the local shopkeepers alleged.
When asked, engineer, NESCO, Jhumpura section, Lambodar Barik and assistant engineer, NESCO, Champua, R N Patra said the bent pole would soon be replaced.
PNN