A baby-step taken by the government towards shifting of power lines hanging dangerously close to residential establishments and housing colonies, is being hindered by administrative delays first on part of the APCPDCL and then from the district collectorate.
Three months after the sanction of funds to discoms through APTransco, tenders have not yet been called for carrying out the works in the city.
Though CPDCL Metro Zone has identified three locations for shifting of lines, one in each circle, and submitted the proposals to the district collector for administrative sanction, approval for the same has not yet arrived from the latter, delaying the project further.
Areas prioritised
The company has identified locations after prioritising the areas where fatal accidents through electrocution had happened earlier. Accordingly, the Balkampet area in Greenlands division where eight accidents were reported has been chosen in the north circle, while Nagamaiah Kunta in Azamabad division where four accidents were reported has been prioritised in central circle.
The Shankar Nagar basthi in Malakpet of Asmangadh division where three fatal and two non-fatal accidents were reported has been picked from the South Circle for shifting of power lines.
All these are 33 KV lines and have proven to be extremely dangerous to human lives, company sources informed.
Shifting of lines in the one kilometre stretch between Erragadda and Greenlands where they are menacingly close to hundreds of houses in Balkampet, is estimated to cost Rs.40 lakh. The 0.5-kilometre stretch between Moula Ali and Chilkalguda which touches the Nagamaiah Kunta area at Azamabad, and the 0.35-km stretch between Chandrayangutta and Imliban touching the Shankarnagar basthi are estimated to cost Rs.30 lakh each.
Of the Rs.25 crore sanctioned by the government towards this purpose, the CPDCL has been allocated Rs.10 crore as its share. Of this, Rs. 1 crore has been allotted to the Metro Zone.
The sanctions are but a droplet in the ocean, as shifting of lines in all the danger-prone areas in the twin cities is estimated to cost a minimum of Rs.20 crore, according to estimates prepared by the department.
In an earlier report submitted to Chief Minister N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, the discom had mentioned that over 8,000 houses in GHMC area were dangerously close to power lines.
