SHAHJAHANPUR: In a state where people spend each summer fretting over the frequent power outages, one village stands out for its eagerness to have the electricity supply discontinued altogether.The residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Ganpatpur village, 30km from Shahjahanpur city, have seen their initial joy for electricity deteriorate into pure disdain as absent maintenance rendered the low-hanging high-tension cables a deadly safety hazard. Stray sparks from the cables have often set crops as well as vehicles alight, and last year, 12 labourers barely escaped with their life when the truck they were in caught fire while passing under the cables.Ganpatpur has approximately 1,200 residents, mostly farmers, who they find their quiet life threatened by the “demonic” cables.“When electricity was first brought to the village back in 2008, we were happy. But this happiness has vanished. No one from the power department ever comes by to maintain these cables, or repair any fault. As a result, the wires are in a terrible condition,” Rajkumar Patel, a village elder, told TOI.“On top of that, the high tension lines passing over our fields have been placed at a lower height than normal. You can practically touch them. Even our fields are not safe, particularly in the dry season,” Patel added. In February, the sugarcane crop of a local farmer caught fire from sparks flying off the cables. Sarvesh Kumar never received any compensation despite several appeals to the junior engineer of the electricity board, locals said.In the past one year, an estimated 500 quintals of cane crop has been lost to fires caused by the cables.Another resident, Prem Kumar, recalled his “miraculous escape”. “In April 2015, while cutting cane stalks, I got a massive electric shock. The entire crop was in contact with the high tension line, which is why I was electrocuted,” he added.Electricity department executive engineer Rishi Agarwal said he was not aware of the problem. “I will look into it now,” he told TOI.