By Stanley Nwanosike

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has implored the residents of the South-East to allow the cutting of trees interfering with electricity power transmission lines in the zone.

The General Manager of TCN Enugu Region, Mr Geoffrey Nwokoye, made this appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.

Nwokoye said that decreased electricity supply during rainfall or wind-storm in the zone was due to the interference of trees with the transmission lines.

He explained that just one tree on a transmission line could make the line vulnerable since that spot would be the weakest link and it would definitely affect electricity supply or even power failure.

“At times, the residents would refuse the idea of cutting down their trees; most times, giving the reason that the tree is their shrine or ancestral legacy.

“So it has remained a source of problem for the TCN; it gives a lot of concern to stakeholders in the electricity industry in the country,’’ he said.

Nwokoye urged elite in the zone to educate their brothers, sisters and neighbours on the need to ensure that the transmission lines of both 33 KVA and 11 KVA lines do not overlap with trees.

“The TCN appeals to the communities and government authorities in the zone to ensure that trees do not affect electricity supply or damage the transmission lines,’’ he said.

He, therefore, wondered why the same people would still be complaining of lack of power supply when government efforts to ensure constant electricity supply was interrupted.

“A typical example is that of our contractors and their workers being chased with machetes out of a community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State recently just because they were doing transmission line trace clearing,’’.