Ghaziabad: A dilapidated double-electricity pole carrying an 11,000V overhead cable and a 63kVA transformer collapsed in Vikram Enclave around 5.40 am on Thursday, narrowly missing two homes after it got entangled in the very wires it carried.The pole leaned precariously over the balconies of house numbers 50 and 51 instead of crashing to the ground, triggering panic among residents. Power supply was restored within an hour from an alternate source, though the damaged pole itself was replaced only around 12.30 pm, nearly seven hours later.The power department has ordered an investigation to determine whether negligence was involved.Ward 37 councillor Ravi Bhati said the double pole, which overlooked houses on plots 48, 50 and 51, had been dilapidated for a long time. He alleged that repeated complaints to junior engineer Parvinder and sub-divisional officer Bhuvan Kumar Verma at the local substation had gone unheeded. After the collapse, the transformer remained suspended from the power lines above the road, leaking oil continuously and raising further safety concerns.Pradeep Gupta, founder of the Shalimar Garden Public Welfare Committee, demanded an immediate survey and replacement of all dilapidated poles and wiring in the area.
The transformer remained suspended from the power lines above the road, leaking oil continuously
Chief engineer (zone 3) Brijesh Kumar confirmed that the transformer was damaged in the incident but said the pole was replaced and power restored within an hour from an alternate source. “Only 10-15 consumers had to wait till 12.40 pm until the pole was replaced,” he said.Executive engineer Sandeep Singh said the transformer, located about 100 metres from the Vikram Enclave substation, will also be replaced. He said the pole’s base had rusted under interlocking pavement tiles, hidden from view, and deteriorated until it gave way under the weight of cables from the DLF-1 and Old Vikram feeders.“Due to the corroded base, the pole collapsed under the weight of the cables. Following the incident, our team took immediate action and replaced the double pole and restored supply rapidly within an hour. Timely intervention helped mitigate the risk,” Singh said.
