‘Shift transformer from housing society’

Anticipating damage,Thatte wrote to the PWD’s electrical inspection department at Swargate in February this year requesting them to shift the transformer. “Acting on the request,officials of PWD electrical inspection department had visited the site,” Thatte said.

Based on their report,the department has come up with an order asking the MSEDCL (Parvati division) to shift the transformer. ‘There have been a couple of incidences of transformer blasts this year that have resulted in human loss. In order to prevent such instances,this transformer has to be shifted to a safer place,” the order states. The MSEDCL has agreed to shift the transformer within a month,Thatte said.

Thatte,who is also the treasurer of Grahak Hitvardhini,said that most transformers in residential areas were installed according to Indian Electricity Rules,1956. “These rules were amended in 2005 and location of most transformers in Peth areas does not comply with the amended rules,” he said.

Sudhakar Velankar,founder of Grahak Hitvardhini,has appealed to the public that if transformers fitted earlier are now posing danger to nearby residences,they can approach the PWD (electrical inspection department). “The applicant needs to pay a fee when officials of this department come for inspection. The entire process takes around three months,” Velankar said.