The ugly sight of haphazardly strung cable & telephone wires hits us in the face the moment we enter our Sector. This unpleasant sight stays with us wherever we go.
It would be an insult to call it a Spiders Web because a Spiders web is artistic! Trees, poles, balconies, are all messed up with these black cables. Extra lengths are also rolled up for future use.
It is not that the work cannot be done properly. This problem just needs to be addressed by the RWA. The author has, on a few occasions, directed the workmen to ”tidy-up“ while working which they did. Cables which are being strung up should follow demarcated paths, at a stipulated height and must be dressed (collated and banded / tied together). This has been done abroad & the bunch of wires looks like a single thick rope running along a defined path.
These knotty wires are also a safety hazard. They are close to electricity wires & hamper maintenance. I am sure the Electricity Dept does not permit this, but they seem to be doing nothing about implementing their rules.
It is interesting to note that earlier this year, the Srinagar Municipal Corpn. have ordered ”… telecom service providers to remove the haphazardly put wires, lines, cables, junction boxes and other utilities above ground within 15 days failing which the corporation will disconnect or remove these cables at the risk and cost of the concerned telecom service providers, internet and cable operators in Srinagar. “ These haphazard cables are categorized as a ”public nuisance“
The onus lies on the civic agencies to rectify this assault on our aesthetics & pass similar orders. Punitive measures should be put in place for this work to be effective.
It can be done !
by Sanjaya Varma (Sector 30)
