Commuters risk life and limb as poles not removed from middle of road in Hyderabad

In Hyderabad, commuters are facing danger as electricity poles remain standing in the middle of a newly carpeted road. The debate has sparked on social media as people risk their lives on the road. The Sindh government defended its decision to complete and open the road, stating that the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) was responsible for relocating the poles.

The poles carry high-tension lines from the 132-kV grid station of Qasimabad, which supplies electricity to a large part of the city. The road, a 1.6km-long dual carriageway, connects Alamdar Chowk with the old National Highway near Qasim Chowk and is part of a Rs1.06 billion project. Despite the poles being present during the first layer of carpeting, vehicles started using the road, risking their lives as they zig-zagged to avoid hitting the poles.

The government claims that there was a lack of land for construction and that pressure forced the road's opening. They argue that once the road was built, public pressure forced Hesco to remove the poles. However, some criticize the government for negligence, suggesting that barriers and warning signs should have been put up to protect commuters. Hesco has relocated 97 of the 100 poles, with the remaining ones to be done by November 10.