Mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday urged Kolkatans to inform him through a WhatsApp message if they knew about an electric pole that has any defect.
Hakim asked Kolkatans to WhatsApp their message to 8335999111.
He said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) would fix the issue if it is pointed out to them.
“I request all Kolkatans to inform us at the KMC about any electric pole that they know has any defect. Let us know if you see a pole without earthing or any other problem,” Hakim said.
The KMC had in May launched a WhatsApp chatbot. People can message ‘Hi’ on WhatsApp to the number 8335999111. An automatic reply will be generated and the conversation would move forward. There is the option to provide pictures to highlight the problem.
Hakim said that KMC officials were doing rounds of the city to find flaws in electric poles.
An 11-year-old boy, Nitish Yadav, was electrocuted in Haridevpur on June 26. He was walking in a waterlogged lane when he touched a pole that was live and got electrocuted.
A probe later found that the pole was not earthed.
Engineers have said that if the pole was earthed then there would have been a lower chance of the boy getting electrocuted.
There have been previous instances when Kolkatans were electrocuted after touching a street pole that had turned live.
Some common defects with the poles are open flaps inside which electric wires can be seen and touched. The KMC is now covering all such open flaps with industrial tape so the wires do not remain exposed.