After electrocution deaths, pole-mounted transformers get the push

Over 300 electrocution deaths have been reported since 2018 in the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company jurisdiction

From the tragic electrocution of a 37-year-old man on Church Street in 2013 to engulfing a father-daughter duo in an exploding transformer earlier this week, the city has seen increasing deaths due to electrocution.

In fact, over 300 electrocution deaths have been reported since 2018 in the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) jurisdiction, with much of those happening in and around Bengaluru.

Relief for citizens came in the form of the High Court of Karnataka, which ordered Bescom to remove transformers from footpaths following a petition by the wife of the Church Street electrocution victim. Since then, Bescom freed several footpaths in the city, mounting 3,194 transformers over poles and devising plans to remove another 2,785 in the next couple of months. It is also moving over 100 transformers to a new location.

Though the high court set 2019 as the deadline to shift all transformers from footpaths, Bescom was able to remove only 3,194 of them due to paucity of funds and other technical challenges.

Also Read — Transformer blast kills man, daughter in Bengaluru

"After the high court's direction, we constituted a committee of experts and came up with a new design. Accordingly, we decided to mount the transformers on single-pole steel structures at a height of seven feet from the ground. While in the first phase we shifted 3,194 transformers located on the footpath, in a similar case during 2021, the High Court of Karnataka directed us to identify potentially hazardous transformers and shift them at the earliest," explained a Bescom engineer.

Accordingly, Bescom has now taken up shifting of another 2,785 transformers.

"This time, we roped in BBMP officials for identification of transformers required to be shifted and also the probable place where they can be shifted. Along with the BBMP, the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) also provided us with inputs on hazardous transformers," the engineer explained.

Of these, a majority of the transformers are located in the East Circle (923) followed by South Circle (903).

As per Bescom's assessment, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area Zone (BMAZ) has as many as 59,000 transformers across the city and only a fraction of them requires shifting or replacement. "The focus of the project is to replace the hazardous transformers and those occupying footpaths. Even though a few hazardous transformers were identified way back in 2017, paucity of funds stalled the process as converting a high number of transformers was a capital-intensive task," yet another Bescom engineer revealed.

No subsidy from govt

Bescom Managing Director Rajendra Cholan said, "Unlike other projects, conversion of transformers into special structures does not get any subsidy from either the central or the state government. Bescom has to fund the entire project on its own and the expenditure has to be approved by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC).”

According to engineers, the conversion of one transformer costs Bescom Rs 5.15 lakh.

"The entire project is estimated to cost us Rs 140 crore and the tender has been finalised and awarded. We are hoping that the work on the ground will begin in the next 15 days and we are hopeful of completing it in two years," a Bescom official revealed.

A small number of transformers will also be shifted to nearby civic amenity (CA) sites identified by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

"Both Bescom and BBMP officials had taken up a joint survey to identify transformers that can be shifted to CA sites in the vicinity. About 114 transformers will be shifted to designated spots," a technical officer at Bescom said.

Amid reports of safety concerns surrounding pole-mounted transformers, electrical engineers said, "The new design of transformers will help prevent accidents to a greater extent. As transformers are placed at over seven feet, pedestrians will have time to move out before the fire spreads. It will provide a buffer time for those walking around."

They further added that the impact of a transformer explosion will also be reduced considerably.

“The only setback is that it will affect the annual maintenance works due to the height. But since it is an annual exercise, we should be able to manage."

What is a pole-mounted transformer?

They are power distribution transformers that are mounted on a power pole (wood or concrete) and usually horizontal to overhead cables.

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