DPWH, Beneco told to remove poles along widened roads

The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, requested the Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH) regional and district offices and the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) to immediate remove or relocate electric poles and other obstructions within the national government’s right-of-way as a result of the implementation of road widening projects in the different parts of the city.

In a resolution, local legislators stated that as a result of various road widening projects implemented in the different parts of the city, utility lines, electric posts and other obstructions may have to be moved or relocated to avoid traffic and prevent vehicular traffic.

The council cited that Section 12 and 13 of Joint Circular No. 01, series of 2017, of the Department of Energy and DPWH provide that within one year from the effectivity of the same, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and electric cooperatives shall cause the removal and relocation of any improperly located facility in the government’s right-of-way, subject to the payment of compensation provided in the said circular.

Further, the DOE and DPWH adopted Joint circular No. 2, series of 2019, to extend the period of relocation of obstructing facilities within the national government’s right-of-way up to December 31, 2019, and for the purpose of the implementation of the same, it created the inter-agency task force to closely monitor the compliance of the concerned government agencies to the aforesaid condition.

The body argued that the deadline provided in Joint Circular No. 2, series of 2019 has lapsed while a significant number of unrelocated electric poles and other similar obstructions remain within the government’s right-of-way raising public safety concerns, especially those of public utilities, which now poses a serious threat to the overall safety of the public.

For the past several years, the DPWH regional and district offices had been implementing road widening projects along various national roads in the city where many electric poles owned by BENECO and other obstructions had been left out and are awaiting to be removed and relocated properly to allow the use of the widened portions of the roads for better management of traffic and more importantly, prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that could compromise the public’s overall safety.

The council urged the concerned agencies to fasttrack the removal and relocation of the identified obstructions to ensure the smooth flow of vehicular traffic along the widened portions of the road and avoid the unscheduled power interruptions that may be caused by of accidents due to unrelocated poles and other obstruction.

The DPWH and BENECO are closely working together to facilitate the immediate relocation of the electric poles erected on widened portions of the various.

Copies of the said resolution will be furnished to the aforesaid agencies and entities for their information and guidance. – Dexter A. See