A road in Karond, on the outskirts of Bhopal, has become a daily risk zone for hundreds of residents. Overhead high-tension electricity lines and transmission towers loom dangerously close to homes and the only access road, raising persistent fears of fatal electrocution.
“This is an invitation to accidents,” Bhadhur Dangi, a local, said, pointing to the web of cables hanging above. The road itself is in poor condition, with no proper drainage, no footpath, and foul smells from stagnant waste. Despite paying municipal taxes for water and garbage services, residents allege that basic facilities never reach them.
According to locals, the transmission tower existed before the colony developed. Over time, plots were carved out around it, presumably without proper approvals, and sold off. Many original plot sellers have since left, while those still living here face the consequences.
Priyanka Lodhi, another resident, while bringing her child from school, said that school buses refuse to enter the area due to the risk posed by the high-tension line. During the rains, residents say children are forced to wade through waterlogged stretches, barefoot, under live wires.
The danger is not hypothetical. Some residents also claim that a labourer previously suffered an electric shock while working near the lines. A labourer working near the line reportedly fell after being electrocuted and survived only after hospital treatment.
India experiences more than 30 deaths annually because of electrocution. More than a lakh people have lost their lives in the past decade, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
Officials acknowledge that in legal colonies, power lines are shifted following due process. In unauthorised colonies, however, the burden often falls on residents to bear the high cost of relocation. Locals say they have approached administrative officials repeatedly over the past two decades, but no concrete action has followed.
“Whoever buys a plot should first see that no HT line or LT line passes through the plot. A house should never be built under it, so that electrical accidents do not happen. If you are buying a plot, you should make a proper application and get it shifted to a safe distance,” Sanjeev Singh, Executive Engineer at the Sehore electricity department, said.
NDTV reported that Madhya Pradesh’s Energy Minister, Pradhuman Singh Tomar, was notified of the issue. He explained to NDTV that shifting power lines is a difficult matter and requires certain clearances for safety.
For now, residents continue to live under the shadow of high-tension wires, demanding to shift the lines and have a road as per the government maps.
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