Thousands of electric poles after new rural construction have not been relocated

(Baonghean.vn) - Implementing the construction of new rural areas, many roadsin Quynh LuuThe road has been expanded, but as a result, there are thousands of electric poles in the middle of the road, posing a potential risk of traffic accidents.

Over the years, people in Quynh Luu district have actively donated land, walls, trees, crops, and auxiliary works to expand rural traffic and build new rural areas with the locality. However, while many roads have been reinforced with concrete, in the district there are thousands of electric poles that were previously located on the edge of the road, now located in the middle of the road, posing a potential risk of traffic accidents.

Ms. Ho Thi Hong in Hamlet 4, Quynh Hong Commune said that before, the rural road system of the hamlet was only 2 - 2.5 m wide. After implementing the construction of the new rural area, the hamlet mobilized the people to open the road to 5 - 6 m wide. Looking at the wide concrete roads that took a lot of effort to complete, the joy was multiplied. However, the electric pole at the entrance of her family's alley as well as many other households that were previously located on the roadside now encroaches on part of the road, obstructing traffic and spoiling the beauty; especially dangerous for pedestrians, especially at night.

The entire Quynh Luu district currently has nearly 2,100 electric poles encroaching on 1/3 of the roadway. Photo: Hong Dien

Quynh Hong is a locality that has not yet reached the NTM finish line, so there are still some roads that have not been concreted, but up to this point, the whole commune has 521 electric poles on the main roads, inter-village roads, and intra-village roads, occupying 1/3 of the roadway. There is an electric pole like that every 50 meters.

To ensure the safety of people participating in traffic, the locality has repeatedly requested the Quynh Luu Electricity Branch to have a plan for early relocation. However, it is not known when the Electricity industry will take action, while the electric poles are still threatening the lives of passersby every day.

In the immediate future, Quynh Hong commune has allocated budget to move some poles on important roads; directed villages and hamlets to mobilize people to contribute funds and at the same time asked households for land to bury the poles for safety. With the relocation cost for each electric pole being 2 million VND, the commune encountered many difficulties when starting the implementation. Therefore, the number of poles moved to safe locations is insignificant.

According to Mr. Ho Nghia Duong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Hong commune, the locality has the largest number of electric poles that need to be relocated in Quynh Luu district, so currently, on major roads, the commune is asking for locations to be buried against the wall, some households are asking to be buried in the middle of the surrounding wall, where the partition between two families is connected, to ensure the safety of people when participating in traffic.

The electric pole in Hamlet 10, Quynh Hau Commune is the main cause of many traffic accidents. Photo: Hong Dien

In Quynh Hau commune, after achieving the new rural standards, the locality has relocated a number of electric poles. Up to now, the whole commune still has 25 poles located in the traffic safety corridor. However, this is a locality with a high number of motorbike accidents caused by electric poles. In particular, on the inter-village road from hamlet 10 to hamlet 9, there are curved sections of road, with electric poles standing tall and encroaching on the roadway, so in mid-2017, an accident occurred that killed one person.

The level of danger is such, but the Electricity sector has not yet taken action. Discussing this issue, Mr. Ho Van Hoa - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Hau commune shared: The relocation of the power grid system affects traffic safety, the locality is facing many difficulties. Quynh Luu Electricity Branch denies responsibility, and on the commune's side, the debt for basic construction after meeting the new rural standards is still large, while the people's strength is limited, so mobilizing resources at this time is difficult. The commune identified this as an important issue, and will develop an implementation plan in time before the Office of the Provincial Steering Committee for New Rural Construction takes part in the re-evaluation after 5 years of meeting the standards.

According to statistics, up to now, the whole Quynh Luu district has nearly 2,100 electric poles that were previously located at corners and roadside, now located on 1/3 of the road, which looks unsightly and unsafe for traffic. To help localities with this issue, the district has sent an official dispatch to the province asking for funding to support the relocation.

The tangled system of electric wires, connected together, makes it difficult to move electric poles. Photo: Hong Dien

Through research at the grassroots level, most communes believe that after handing over the power grid to the Electricity Department for management, the Electricity Department must be responsible for moving the power poles and lines to a safe location; but the Electricity Department has its own reasons. Mr. Phan Van Ha - Director of Quynh Luu Electricity Branch said: "The unit only supports the technical part, cuts off the power, makes plans, and transfers the lines. As for the actual situation, it is entirely the responsibility of the locality".

Relocating electric poles located on traffic roads after building new rural areas in Quynh Luu district is currently very necessary. Therefore, communes and Quynh Luu Electricity Branch need to have a plan to coordinate smoothly to implement step by step, soon completing the work of moving electric poles standing in the middle to the edge of the road to ensure safety for people and vehicles when participating in traffic./.

Red Face