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UP Over 6,000 incidents of snapping of live electricity wires in 2 years

LUCKNOW: UP witnessed over 6,100 incidents of snapping of live electricity wires often leading to loss of life and property in the last two years, energy minister Srikant Sharma informed the assembly on the second day of the monsoon session on Friday.

The information comes amid UP government cracking down on erring power officials responsible for Balrampur incident, where a high-tension wire snapped and fell on a school leaving over 50 children injured. The issue came to the fore after SP MLA Mohammad Faim Irfan raised the issue of snapping of wires. 

Energy minister said that in the last two years, a compensation of over Rs 43 crore has been paid to those affected by accidents related to electricity. 

To another question raised by BJP's Barauli MLA Dalveer Singh about shifting of overhead high-tension wires, Sharma said that shifting of high-tension wires from houses of people of BPL category is being done through power development fund. Sharma submitted that overhead high-tension wires will either be converted into aerial bunch conductors or would be shifted as per the cost incurred in the work.

Sharma said that 15% of the charges recovered through sale of electricity would be used to rectify power infrastructure, including strengthening of dilapidated wires and replacement of bamboo poles with conventional electricity poles.