LAHORE - Improperly and inadequately earthed electricity poles at various places of the City are becoming a constant life threat to the masses as well as to the life of employees of the power distribution companies. The authorities concerned have failed to remove this life threat on permanent basis by launching any special drive even in the season of monsoon when the incidents of electrocution get multiplied, The Nations learnt on Tuesday. Number of the line superintendents handling the issue of electricity poles confided to The Nation that the poles, which are not properly earthed so far, are the life threat not only to the general public but also to the employees (linemen and line superintendents). They disclosed that power distribution companies including Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) have not ensured the proper placement of the electricity poles within its limits notwithstanding the fact that during the maintenance and in the course of power breakdown complaints, the employees of Wapda have lost their lives. The line superintendents told this scribe that they have brought the issue of poles, which are not properly earthed, in the notice of the high-ups many times but power distribution companies always ignored it under various pretexts. LESCO sources claimed that most of cases of electrocution occurred due to improper placement of power poles, adding that even in last three months of the incumbent year, the employees lost their lives in the line of duty on account of this factor. They alleged that one and a half months ago, an employee of the company namely Hayat lost his life in Islamia Park during his duty due to improper earthed pole of electricity. They disclosed that two such incidents occurred in Shalimar Division, in which two linemen namely Sadiq Ali and Muhammad Sadiq also lost their lives during their duty on account of improper placement of electricity poles. One month ago, a LESCO employee working in the Shalimar sub-division electrocuted owing to improper placement of a pole, as arms and left leg of the employee were cut by the doctors for avoiding the cancer to the patients due to the electrocution wounds, the sources said. Sources privy to the company claimed that a dialogue between the LESCO ex-director operation Ch Abdul Ghafoor and the representatives of the Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Union held in past in which the representatives of the union conveyed their reservations and demands of making all the electricity poles properly earthed to lessen the 50 per cent incidents of electrocution. Sources said that the director had responded that the work of making all the poles properly earthed needed millions of rupees and the Company could not afford the money at a time. Line superintendents deplored that the current monsoon is also dangerous for the employees and for the masses because so far the high-ups of Wapda (power distribution companies have not ensured that all the poles in the limits of Lesco have been made properly earthed. A line superintendent said that all the houses, buildings, plazas and CNG stations should ensure proper placement of power poles to avoid any incident of electrocution, saying currently the companies engaged with installing electricity appliances at homes do not bother about the proper system while tube-wells and industry connections are exception which are ensured properly earthed against some charges (money). When contacted the Wapda General Manager Shahid Hussain said that the work of maintenance is going on uninterrupted round the year including 'proper placement of the poles. He said that Wapda (Pepco) does not make special effort to lessen the issue of improper earthed poles in the season of monsoon, however this problem is also addressed in routine. He said no doubt the insulators become hard to work in the monsoon but the employees of the companies are always directed to remove the conductions from the insulators to avoid any incidents of electrocution.