Maze of telecom wires on MC infra threatens to turn safety hazard in city

Tribune News Service

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, June 16

At the posh Lawrence road market and nearby residential areas, dangling cables of telecom companies, internet service providers and cable TV firms have become a nuisance. It’s a free run for cable operators of companies like Jio Fiber, Connect, Net Plus, Airtel and BSNL and even the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), that lay their wires on boundary walls, trees and poles while giving connections to consumers. Cables can be seen hanging on PSPCL poles from Novelty Chowk to BBK DAV College. The bunches of fiber wire of internet service provider companies are the major violators. They not only hang their bunch of cables but also boxes, joint tubes and control units from poles. This eyesore in the shape of cable bunches, joints and boxes hanging on roads and causing accidents are a hindrance to the commuters.

Moreover, the mess of cables defaces the city and gives a bad impression to the visitors. Residents and shopkeepers are at the receiving end because of the negligence and apathy of the Municipal Corporation. There is no check by the MC on the web of cables and wires in the city. Ironically, most of the service providers do not even pay the MC for installing their network.

Anil Sharma, a bank employee on Lawrence Road, said, “Earlier, there were telephone cables of landline phones. The technology is now outdated but the dead telephone cables are still hanging on poles. Similarly, the power cables are there. But nowadays, a major mess regarding cables is created by the internet companies. There should be some norms for the private companies to use public infrastructure. The MC should make them answerable for the mess.”

Jagmeet Singh, a resident said, “These wires deface the markets and residential areas. The cables cause unwarranted inconvenience to the public and are a threat to their safety. Webs of these wires lead to fire incidents. The MC should charge from these telecom companies and make underground trenches to hide the cables.”

MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said, “We are planning to write to these companies to make their own arrangements and pay the charges in case they use government property to hang cables.”

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