Open power transformer on Mumbai road 'shocks' HC officials told to remove it

Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) The Bombay High Court has come down heavily on Maharashtra's state-run power utility MSEDCL and the Mumbai civic body for installing an open transformer box along with high tension electric wires right in the middle of a busy junction in the city.

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna, in an order passed on Tuesday, noted the open transformer box on the suburban Goregaon-Malad Link Road causes a potential threat to human life and directed authorities to forthwith remove the same.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Marathon Maxima Co-operative Housing Society stating that an open power transformer box and high tension electric wires leading to the box were placed in the middle of the road at a junction of the Goregaon-Malad Link Road.

The bench, after perusing the photographs submitted by the petitioner, observed the plea raises a serious safety hazard issue.

"It certainly indicates an imminent danger which would be caused by such electricity installations, which are right at the middle of the road," the court said.

It also appears there was no maintenance or care or any precaution taken by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) in protecting the installation, thus causing a potential threat to human life, the HC added.

"We wonder as to how at such a place (middle of the road) an electricity installation can be installed at all," the court remarked.

The court said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has currently undertaken the work of the Goregaon-Malad Link Road, appears to have "turned a complete blind eye" to the installation.

The court observed that if there was any mishap, then officers of the BMC and the MSEDCL would be responsible for all consequences, damages and compensation which would be required to be paid to any victim.

"No other inference can be drawn from such a state of affairs," the HC said.

The bench directed the MSEDCL as well as the BMC to take immediate appropriate steps to remove and/or shift the transformer box and posted the matter for further hearing on May 7.

The petitioner housing society had also raised concerns of parking/dumping of towed or confiscated vehicles at a nearby police station, located outside the society's gates, which it said was causing obstruction.

Government pleader Purnima Kantharia on Tuesday informed the bench all vehicles have been removed from outside the gate of the housing society.

The court sought information as to what steps are being taken to remove such vehicles not just from this particular police station, but from police stations across Mumbai.

Kantharia sought time to inform the bench on the policy being framed on the issue.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)