Transformer? y, an accident waiting to happen!

GUWAHATI, Dec 9: This hulky structure standing erect on a too busy spot on SRCP Road in the Fancy Bazar area near Dharamshala Hanuman Mandir in Guwahati is a transformer, y, an accident waiting to happen! There are many such transformers in Guwahati that are virtually recipes for disasters.  

The transformer is uncovered. No protective covering makes it a vulnerable spot for electrical accidents, leading to major disasters like fire. What has made the situation worst is that the very spot where the ked transformer erects is a very busy spot, with vehicles of all hues being parked near it. The ked transformer has been under corrosion for being directly exposed to weather condition – under the sun or rain. 

The State Power Department has a murky past, in so far as accidents are concerned. The bygone monsoon is worth remembering if one has to keep counting accidents, including some fatal ones, occurred in the State, especially in Guwahati. Given the number of power-related accidents occurring in the State, one has every reason to question the sincerity on the part of the State power distribution company. Has it learnt any lesson from the recent accidents that claimed the lives of many in the State?

Nekib Imam Saikia, a social worker in the locality, said: “A hue and cry is raised only when there’s an accident. We’ve observed many such accidents in the recent past. However, neither the department nor the public keep that in mind to make ourselves take precautiory measures. There are many electric posts in the Fancy Bazar area with wire tangling into masses. All these are vulnerable accidents in waiting to happen. We, especially the APCDL, do everything to invite the doomsday!”

At a recent public function in the city, State Power Minister Pallab Lochan Das was on record saying ‘Power sector is the focal point of all. All eyes are set on it. Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal wants to make Assam a sports hub of the tion. Tourism Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on the other, wants to make it a tourism hub. There is thrust to make Assam an industrial hub as well. All these dreams can be translated into reality only if there is adequate power. People expect much from power department which is why we’re blamed for every minor mistake on our part’. The question that arises now is: is power safety is the minister’s agenda?