Bhubaneswar: Eight months after cyclone Fani battered coastal districts of the state, several electricity poles damaged at that time in Bhubaneswar are yet to be replaced.
A point in case being the electricity pole near Budheswari temple that was bent and half-broken under impact of the cyclone. Even though the damaged pole poses danger for the commuters, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to replace it.
According to locals, several attempts have already been made to wake BMC up from its slumber. That said, none of the repeated attempts to get the pole replaced have worked so far.
BMC took cognizance of the issue for a short while after leading Odia daily ‘Dharitri’ published a news item highlighting the issue. Authorities had asked the engineers and contractors to survey the poles lying in a dangerous condition and take corrective measures. The drive, however, fizzled out after replacing only some of the poles.
When questioned, an assistant engineer of BMC electricity division feigned ignorance over the issue. “We never noticed any such pole while surveying Fani damages,” he said while adding that BMC would get the pole fixed soon.
PNN