Loose Cables hanging everywhere: Cut Cables
Cause concern
All along the roads, along the
footpaths, we find overhead cables of all sorts. These are laid by Electricity
Board, Telephone Department, Cable TV operators, Internet Service Providers
etc. As the demand for such services has increased many folds and a number of
competitors have emerged, each company lays its own cables; even private colony
streets and by lanes are not spared. Even
in a new colony that is just few months old, the ugly scenes of tangled overhead
cables may be seen. Service Providers greed to reach each and every house has
become a menace and a concern, why, I shall tell you shortly.
The cables are laid without any
concern for standards, safety or regulations. All poles, originally meant for
Electrical distribution or only Telephone are abused without any permission or
approval. When an ISP lays these cables, he keeps future expansion in mind and
leaves a large bundle of extra cable at each pole. The clutter and chaotic
condition of these dozens of cables close together must be seen to be believed.
Here is the real problem: These
cables, as they are not securely laid, get snapped often. A lorry carrying
goods stacked beyond reasonable heights will easily cut these cables. Even
simple rains or a strong wind plays havoc. ISPs compete among themselves by
resorting to unfair practice of deliberately cutting away the Internet cables
of competitors every now and then. They do it in the night. This causes disruption of service for a
couple of days, every time the cables are snipped. In my area, within a radius
of one kilometer I have Reliance, Tata, Beam, BSNL, Drishti and many more. They live preying upon each other and
poaching others customers. I was a victim of unreliable Internet Connection,
not because my ISP, but because of nefarious activities of his competitors. The
problem became so acute that I had to switch over to another ISP who runs
underground cables for Internet. The net result is that we see overhead cables
cut everywhere and they hang out in the most disgusting manner everywhere.
Snapped wires may cause passers by to trip and fall down, especially in not so
well lit areas.
How can we solve this menace? No one
would remove (steal) these cut wires as it does not merit re-sale to Raddi-wala.
Public are afraid and do not know whether they are energized cables that may
give some shock. ISPs and others simply lay another pair of cables and leave
the broken ones as it is. They do not collect it back. Some kind of a from Municipal authorities is
required. Those who own the poles (APCPDCL, BSNL and others) may interfere and
prohibit ISPs from using their poles or lay down rules for proper usage.
Solution to this problem is not easy.
But if affected persons raise their voice someone might be listening.