Srinagar: Residents of Boulevard and its adjoining areas including Gagribal have urged authorities to remove old concrete poles from these localities.
A delegation of residents led by GM Dug said during mid-70s; 1970s, state government thought it prudent to replace wooden electric poles with RCC concrete poles to install a network of electric transmission lines.
“Obviously it was done with an objective to provide trouble free electricity to people of which otherwise used to face disruptions due to decay caused to
wooden poles during winter months, thereby turning these useless over the period of time. Hardly after a decade or so, presumably to further improve the transmission System of electric supply, took a decision to replace RCC with poles made from iron metal,” Dug said.
He said earlier when wooden poles were replaced with RCC poles, the wooden poles were then instantly removed from the respective sites to stores. “But when the later change took place almost 90% of RCC poles were not at all removed and were kept as it is, pitched in ground after making these defunct.
“These poles present a shabby look in the vicinity of Boulevard and Old Gagribal. Besides creating impediments for vehicular and pedestrian movement in such parts of our urban and suburban areas. While thinking about the alternative use of these RCC poles, I think these could be better used for facilitating pedestrians to cross rivulets and streams spread over almost in all rural areas of Kashmir when presently wooden poles are being used for this purpose which is not a better solution as compared to above,” Dug added.