By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: A heavy electricity transformer came crashing down on Abbott Road near Shaheen Complex on Friday evening, seriously injuring a passerby in an incident residents alleged could have turned into a major tragedy on one of the area’s busiest stretches.
The injured man was rushed to Mayo Hospital for emergency treatment after the transformer suddenly fell onto the road, triggering panic among people in the vicinity.
Residents told The Tribune that LESCO personnel had installed the transformer only a day earlier. They alleged that local people had immediately raised concerns over the installation and warned the officials that the transformer appeared unstable and could fall.
“Our warnings were ignored. We told them the transformer had not been properly secured and could come down, but nobody paid attention,” a resident alleged.
Witnesses said the transformer crashed onto a section of Abbott Road that normally remains packed with pedestrians, motorcyclists, rickshaws and other traffic.
They described it as sheer luck that the immediate spot was unusually clear at the moment of the incident. One passerby, however, was caught in the accident and suffered serious injuries.
Residents said the consequences could have been catastrophic had the transformer fallen during peak traffic hours.
The incident sparked anger among local residents, who demanded an immediate investigation into how the transformer was installed and whether required safety procedures had been followed.
They called upon senior LESCO authorities to determine responsibility and take action if negligence was established.
The residents also demanded inspection of transformers and electricity infrastructure in the surrounding area to prevent another potentially fatal accident.
An official response from LESCO regarding the residents’ allegations was not immediately available.
However, after the publication of the report Nasir Ali Xen contacted this scribe and said that he has reached the place and is taking care of the whole incident. He said that the transformer was not new and the incident took place due to a sudden blast.