Bhubaneswar: Underground cable laying work has moved on from the busy streets to the interior areas of Kharavela Nagar at Unit III, but lack of safety measures in executing the project continue to trouble commuters here. They are forced to commute on the dug-up stretches with great risk and inconvenience.
To ensure uninterrupted electricity supply and a clean skyline, the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited and the Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) have joined hands to lay high-tension cables underground.
However, the executing authorities have dug up several lanes in Kharavela Nagar but they have not been fenced off. This has exposed residents of this densely populated residential area to the danger of falling into the dug up road and suffer injuries.
On Saturday night, a cyclist fell into one such pit, but was lucky to escape with minor scars.
"I was taking the usual route when the headlight of an approaching vehicle distracted me. I tried to ride past the vehicle but fell into the pit. I did not know that such a huge pit existed there. There was nothing that would have alerted me about the dug up stretch," said Sanatan Behera, the cyclist.
The fear of damage to limbs of commuters, pedestrians, especially children, loom since the pits are almost five to six feet deep. "We are not opposing the work, but they should install security measures and complete work on a war footing," said Nitesh Patra, a shopkeeper at Kharavela Nagar.
The authorities, however, claimed that they had opted for adequate security measures at sites since located in densely populated residential areas.
"We have put up proper bamboo fencing at these sites to alert commuters and have workers to remove mud from the road regularly," said an official present at the site.
Initially, the work was executed on major stretches, including Bidyut Marg, Cuttack-Puri Road, Sachivalaya Marg and parts of Unit I and Unit II. Ever since the underground cable laying work began, there has been a series of major and minor accidents.
In a recent one, a school bus careened dangerously after a portion of the road at Power House Square caved in. Lack of due diligence in undertaking the underground cable laying work had led to the accident. A lorry fell into a pit at Bhimtangi in July last year.
Sources said the authorities were in a hurry to complete the work before the November deadline and that had led to comprising with necessary safety parameters.
"We have been asked to support the officials for the underground cable laying work. We will ensure that the work is done properly and such accidents don't recur," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
