A power cable laid along a busy footpath beside Bharathi Women’s College in George Town has raised safety concerns among students and pedestrians, with residents warning that exposed or damaged electrical connections could become particularly dangerous when the pavement is wet during the monsoon.
The cable runs from a transformer on Old Jail Road along the college compound wall to a pillar box on Prakasam Road, near the college gate. The stretch is used heavily by students and members of the public during morning and evening hours.
Residents said the cable has remained at the location for more than a year and urged authorities to secure it properly. They said the footpath’s high pedestrian use, combined with the possibility of rainwater and damage to the installation, created a safety concern that required preventive action rather than waiting for an incident.
“This problem has existed for more than a year. Since there is a college here, the movement of students and the public is high. The authorities should ensure that the cable is properly secured and protected. Any damage to the cable or exposure of electrical connections could pose a serious risk, especially during the rainy season,” resident Prabhu was quoted as saying by DT Next.
Rekha, an MA Tamil student, said students frequently use the footpath and called for an inspection of the installation and preventive measures to protect them. The concern is centred on the way the cable has been laid along a public pedestrian route beside the college boundary, rather than on an isolated private property.
A Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited official said the cable had been laid temporarily as an emergency measure to provide electricity to the college. The official said the site would be inspected on Monday and that necessary steps would be taken to install the cable safely without causing danger or inconvenience to the public.
The reported arrangement highlights the coordination challenge involved when emergency utility work takes place along a pedestrian corridor. A temporary electricity connection may address an immediate power requirement, but the installation also has to be secured against pedestrian contact, rain, accidental damage and obstruction of the footpath. The source report did not specify the cable’s protection system, the duration for which the temporary arrangement was authorised or whether any formal barricading had been installed.
The location is near Staley’s Hospital in George Town, an area where institutional, medical and residential activity contributes to regular foot traffic. Any remedial work will therefore have to protect the electrical connection while keeping the route usable for students and other pedestrians.
TNPDCL’s stated next step is a site inspection followed by measures to install the cable safely. No outcome of that inspection or completion timeline was available in the report.