With the north-east monsoon having set in, a transformer on Mangadu-Kundrathur Main Road in Kundrathur has become a source of worry for residents living in houses nearby.
They fear that with its weak foundations, the transformer may collapse anytime, and want it relocated to a different place and installed more safely.
At present, the transformer is located on the bund of the Cooum river.
The transformer, around for more than two decades, is said to be maintaining supply to other low-voltage transformers in the neighbourhood.
The spaces around the transformer is marked by continual movement of people, as there is a market, a bus stop, PDS outlets, places of worship and hospitals in the vicinity.
“The foundations of the transformer look weak. We prevent children from going anywhere near the transformer,” says S. Perumal, a resident of Kundrathur.
Residents further point out that the transformer has not been maintained for many years, and there has not been any periodic checks to check the state of its electricity cables.
Mangadu - Kundrathur Main Road witnesses considerable vehicular movement due to its proximity to Porur, Vadapalani and St. Thomas Mount.
Many of those heading to Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore districts choose to travel by this road.
Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses that originate from termini in Poonamallee, Kundrathur and Iyyappanthangal pass through Mangadu-Kundrathur Main Road. “Steps will be taken to ensure that the transformer is safe,” says a Tangedco official.