Saeed Jafar, a resident of Sabon Zongo, a surburb of Bolgatanga, has expressed worries over the improper placement of electric poles and transformers mounted by the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) in the community.
In an interview on the Daybreak Upper East show on A1 Radio on Monday morning, Mr. Jafar stated that the poles are mounted on pathways used by virtually everyone who passes through the neighbourhood, also affecting road construction on that particular lane. “Barely a year ago, VRA and NEDCO planted metallic high-tension poles on the street,” he said.
He explained how he tried reaching out to the right authorities to no avail. In his remarks, Mr. Jafar highlighted that despite raising the issue with engineers, who confirmed the feasibility of relocating the transformer, no concrete steps have been taken to address the community’s apprehensions.
This has left residents feeling vulnerable and exposed to potential risks associated with the current siting of these critical electrical infrastructure components.
He expressed deep concern that while adults may navigate around the hazards posed by the improperly sited transformer and poles, children are particularly at risk due to their natural curiosity and lack of awareness of potential dangers.
Also, he noted that they cannot afford to wait for a tragedy to happen before corrective measures are taken. Hence, a petition detailing their safety concerns and demanding swift action to rectify the situation would likely be submitted to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) by the end of the day.
He stressed the community’s expectation that PURC would intervene decisively to ensure that the infrastructure is relocated to a safer location or appropriate safety measures are implemented without delay.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gifty Eyram Kudiabor|Bolgatanga|Ghana
