by Shobhit Jain
Cables wrapped around electricity poles and hanging from trees in the most haphazard and dangerous manner. This has become a common sight in the sector. Wherever you look there are wires hanging around on whatever support possible be it trees, poles or even other people’s houses. So much so that these cables have now become an eyesore. In the recent storm that hit the sector many of these wires fell on the ground or halfway off the ground posing a threat to motorists especially two wheeler riders.
These loosely and messily hung wires create a nuisance as they often fall off from the trees and hang so below in front of the houses that it gets stuck in their cars while moving them in and out of the house. Also we see that with the rising number of cable operators and internet service providers the number of cables keeps increasing day by day. Not all of these companies have their own poles or distribution boxes so they put their control boxes on the electricity poles which results in a mesh of wires tied all around the pole. This mesh of wires creates a safety hazard as sometimes these wires come too close to the electricity cables and cause a short circuit. Further the problem is extended because if some repair needs to be done on the pole then the lineman that comes to solve the issue has a harrowing time trying to negotiate these wires in his attempt to climb the pole without being electrocuted or falling. It is surprising that the electricity department, whose poles are being hijacked by these operators, is not taking any action even when it is well aware of the situation. Maybe they are also hand in glove with these operators.
This mess can only be solved if the Electricity department realises the threat and inconvenience these loose cables pose and takes some action on these operators and secondly also residents who take these connections should ensure that their wire is properly installed and not affecting another resident.
