While electricity officials are looking at improving the safety of residents, there are localities in North Chennai where safety norms have been thrown to the wind by those who illegally use power infrastructure.
In places like Sowcarpet, Mint, Parry’s, Park Town, Seven Wells, Elephant Gate, Mannady and George Town, transformers and junction boxes are occupied by homeless people.
In areas around Second Line Beach Road, Errabalu Street, Mooker Nalla Muthu Street, Linghi Chetty Street, Armenian Street, Audiappa Naicken Street, and a section of NSC Bose Road, the transformers, which are supposed to be avoided by the public for safety reasons, are misused as parking spaces for vehicles, dumping of garbage and also as living spaces.
A senior Tangedco official said along several streets in the commercial district, where space comes at a premium, transformers are being illegally occupied by residents, commercial establishments and petty shops. The illegal encroachment by the homeless people causes severe hardship to maintenance officials looking to undertake repairs in case of a fault.
The official said several homeless people who are unaware of the risks have converted the space below transformers into homes for several years. Though the people are regularly evicted, they keep coming back within days, he added.
