HYDERABAD: Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka of the Telangana High Court on Friday expressed anguish over the menace of hanging cables on electricity poles, which have caused multiple fatalities in the state.
Referring to the recent electrocution of six persons at Ramanthapur during a Sri Krishna Janmashtami procession, the judge said such incidents reflect a complete breakdown of accountability. He also recalled another fatal mishap during the transportation of a Ganesh idol, where hanging cables triggered electrical shocks and claimed lives.
“Who will take responsibility for these deaths — the Central government, the state government, GHMC, or the service providers?” Justice Nagesh asked, while mourning the death of a nine-year-old boy who had to attend his father’s funeral on his birthday instead of celebrating with a cake.
The court directed that all unauthorised cables strung across electricity poles be removed immediately, except for those installed with proper permissions and for which rentals have been paid to the authorities.
The observations came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Bharti Airtel Ltd, which challenged the arbitrary removal of its optical fibre cables by the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL).
Senior Advocate S Ravi, representing Airtel, submitted that the company had obtained the necessary permissions under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, and had paid nearly `21 crore towards pole rentals since 2021. Despite this, TGSPDCL allegedly removed the cables without notice, violating Rule 18 of the RoW Rules and disrupting telecom services to lakhs of subscribers, including hospitals, courts, and major businesses.
The court observed that the arbitrary disruption of telecom infrastructure has serious consequences for the public and noted that even the Central government had advised state authorities to prevent such actions.
HC faults GHMC for closing commercial unit
Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Friday stayed the closure of a commercial unit at RTC X Roads, directing the GHMC to immediately unseal the premises of M/s Raj Flavours and Fragrances.
The judge was hearing a writ petition filed by the company challenging the GHMC and Food Safety Officer’s action of sealing the premises on August 20.
Senior counsel L Ravichander, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the authorities had acted in “undue haste” without serving proper notice or furnishing a sample analysis report before resorting to coercive action.
He contended that the move was not only “high-handed” but also amounted to a “colourable exercise of power” and an abuse of the process of law