Punekars question PMC’s replacement of old electric poles with FRP shockproof poles

While the electricity department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has gone ahead and replaced old and rust-prone iron electric poles in the city and suburbs with new, lightweight, corrosion-resistant, fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) ‘shockproof’ poles, Punekars are questioning the purpose of this replacement as many of the new poles are not working.

Pedestrians often touch or lean on electric poles which increases the risk of electrocution, especially during the rainy season or when the roads are waterlogged. Reasoning that the new poles are safer and pose no danger to citizens, the PMC has replaced the old electric poles with the new FRP shockproof ones.

Although the PMC claims that there have been instances of injury and even death in the past owing to the old iron poles, Punekars claim that only one such incident has occurred in the last 10 years wherein a 12-year-old boy died after being electrocuted by an electric pole in Warje Malwadi in 2018.

As per the PMC, the new poles are also 5 to 10% cheaper than the old, iron ones and do not melt in case of fire. New poles have been installed in places such as Sunday Peth and Ganesh Peth but some of them have already gone kaput. Initially, the plan was to install 1,000 new poles in the newly-merged suburban areas but more than 2,000 poles have already been installed in areas such as Mahalunge and Sus. Till date, the PMC has incurred an expenditure of ₹5.28 crore on the replacement exercise.

A senior official of the PMC electrical department said, “The new poles are safer and light in weight and easy to replace. They don’t need maintenance like the old, iron poles. They are durable and shockproof.”

Manisha Shekatkar, chief superintendent of the PMC electrical department, said, “In the first phase, we installed 1,500 fibre poles in 34 villages and city areas such as Yerawada, Taljai and Nana Peth. We received complaints from the Manjari area about the poles breaking. On Tuesday, during the Ganesh procession, one pole was bent after being hit by decorations on the Nilayam flyover. As a result, we have decided to install the remaining 1,000 fibre poles in slum areas rather than on the main roads.”

“Recently, we received two letters from the residents of the Bhavani Peth area, appreciating that the fibre poles are working well, especially in the slum areas where the risk of electrocution is higher,” she said.

However, Vivek Velankar, city-based civic activist, said, “The FRP poles that have already been installed are not working well, and there is no need for more. The death of a child in 2017 was due to negligence on the part of a contractor and no similar incidents have occurred ever since. The project is a waste of the taxpayers’ money.”

Former corporator Vishal Dhanwade of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray/UBT), said, “There is no necessity for new poles, especially in areas where the old iron poles are still in good condition. It is a waste of taxpayers’ money.”