Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda directed the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) to prepare a comprehensive inventory of all power-related obstructions on footpaths across the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area and remove them as part of the Freedom from Waste campaign starting August 1.
Disused, old, and damaged electricity poles, hanging wires, and old and new single-pole transformers blocking pedestrian pathways must be removed, Mr. Byre Gowda said at a review meeting on Tuesday.
He also instructed Bescom officials to develop a uniform design standard for power infrastructure across the city.
GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao pointed out that the fencing erected around old transformers on footpaths was obstructing pedestrian movement and had turned into black spots where garbage was being dumped. He instructed officials to convert old transformers into single-pole transformers and relocate them wherever necessary.
Mr. Byre Gowda said iron rods protruding from transformers were, in some places, dangerously low and posed a risk of hitting pedestrians on the head. He said all such rods should be installed at a minimum height of seven feet from the ground.
N. Shivashankara, Managing Director, Bescom, said that nearly 7,000 old transformers located on footpaths across the city had already been replaced. “We will prepare a comprehensive inventory of all remaining old transformers and other obstructions. A uniform design standard will be developed, and the remaining issues will be resolved in a phased manner through a special campaign,” he said.
Published - July 28, 2026 06:35 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
