Dozens of settlements in Triveni and Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality are at risk of accidents due to wooden electric poles buried two decades ago. The wooden poles that were buried many years ago are dilapidated and falling down, but they have not been replaced yet, Bhumkejyula, Tunibot, Sallekhola, Karagithi, Darimjeyula, Lanti, Shankhamul, Ranagaon, Karagithi, Kharkhola and Dandasalle settlements of Chhatreshwari rural municipality are at risk of accidents.

More than 1,000 households in dozens of settlements of two municipalities are affected due to rotting kathepol. Time and again, the locals have been asking the concerned authorities to remove the pole and bury the iron pole, but they have not shown any interest so far. According to the locals, during rains and storms, the flames come out by tying the wires together. 

Under the Rural Community Electrification Program, more than 200 wooden poles were buried in Bhumkejyula, Tunibot, Mazaukhola, Darimjeulapari, Sallekhola, Karagithi, Lanti, Darimjeula, Ranagaon, Dandasalle, Kharkhola of Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality in the year 2062. Most of the buried wooden poles are dilapidated and some have reached the state of rotting and collapsing.

Bhumkejula local Bhimi Thapa said that a fire broke out in a haystack near his house when current flowed from a stray wire. He said that nobody could extinguish the fire due to the fear of electrocution after the straw caught fire. Rotten and dilapidated wooden poles are buried near the house. If there is a storm and the pole falls, it is likely to fall into houses and sheds . Not only will houses be destroyed by fire, but also people may die," he said. But so far they have not shown any interest in changing the pole.'

Resam Basnet, a resident of Tunibot in Triveni rural municipality, said that although there has been no electrocution due to the old kathe poles and the wires hanging on them, when it rains and when there is a storm, they connect the wires and throw fire. Tirtharaj Dahal, the ward president of Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality 3, said that there are 60 wooden poles in the ward and all of them are dilapidated.

Although the electricity authority brought the program to replace the Kathe pole, he informed that the office ignored it because Shankhamul rural community electrification in Triveni and Chhatreswari. According to him, there are more than one thousand houses in the ward. More than 500 families are affected due to Kothepol. He said that although the wooden poles that were not useful and fell down in the past were replaced by community electrification, other poles that were dilapidated were not replaced.

Ward president of Triveni rural municipality-6 Manoj Shah said that not only are there risks due to dilapidated poles and stray wires, but the locals are facing various problems from time to time. He informed that there are wooden poles not only in Bhumkejula of the ward but also in many places of the municipality. After the locals complained, we have been repeatedly making demands to the relevant agencies. But we have not been able to get anything other than assurances," he said. "Recently, community rural electrification has been cancelled. Dinesh Paudel, Head of Electricity Authority Salyan, said that there are 250 wooden poles in Triveni, Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality and Sharda Municipality of