Pedestrians complain about cables on the footpath near Lalbagh. BBMP says immediate action will be taken to clear cables from the road.
Shubhangi Mathur
People find it difficult to walk on the footpath near Lalbagh due to cables and wires on the roads. The television cables and internet wires are hanging from a tree and are very close to ground. Some wires are also on the footpath.
People tend to trip over the wires. Parika, student, said, “It becomes difficult to walk on the footpath because of the cables. Since the wires are on the ground, many a times people trip over the wires. It becomes an inconvenience to disabled people too.”
Rules and guidelines dictate that cables should be at a minimum distance from the ground. A pedestrian, Shri Kanta Prasad said, “Either these cables should be overhead or underground. They should be installed carefully else they create a problem for people walking on the roads.”
Indian Electricity Rules, 1956, Rule No. 77 states that no overhead line along any street should be at a height less than 18 feet (approximately 6 meters). This distance is considered safe for the pedestrians and for goods being carried on the road.
Experts suggest that underground cables and ducts be used. Centre for Urban and Rural Infrastructure Planning Enterprise (CURIPe) engineer, Sameer said, “Underground (UG) multifunctional ducts should be in use for all the cables so that the pedestrians are not disturbed. Also there would not be any problem because of the trees or buildings which come in the way. The issue with UG cables is that they are expensive.”
The government is planning to plant underground channels across the city. BBMP officer, Valu Rathod, Executive Engineer said, “All overhead wires in the city are planned to be installed underground. It will take the government one to two years to complete the process. For the cables near Lalbagh, immediate action will be taken to clear the wires from the footpath.”
