BENGALURU: Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) which are strung across streets, marring the city skyline, and hanging in ugly bunches on tree branches and poles, led to two near-fatal accidents in the past week. Two electric poles were brought down when hanging cables were dragged by passing vehicles, proving dangerous to pedestrians — one was severely injured and another suffered burns.
Bengalureans are at their wits’ end on how to deal with this menace, as they constantly trip over the cables on footpaths. Despite Bescom declaring that no cables will be hung on their transformers, and the Karnataka High Court passing an interim order to remove such wires from streetlights, tree branches and poles, very little has changed.
BBMP Commissioner Tushar Girinath told TNIE, “We will soon undertake a survey to understand the permission given to cable and telecommunication operators, and how many of them are live, and accordingly, penalties will be levied.”
On the current situation, Girinath added, “Most of the cables hanging on tree branches and lying on footpaths are non-functional, as cable TV has become unpopular. Most houses now have connections to OTT platforms and these cables have been dumped on pedestrians walkways.
Citizens and activists want the government to act fast as several fatal cases have been reported, especially during the rainy season. Poornima Shetty, president of Rustam Bagh Association for Welfare and United RWA for Konena Agrahara, said, “Despite there being a law, OFC cables are rampant.
In 2021, we conducted a ‘Free the Tree’ campaign and removed all cables however within a year they are back. Anjali Sahini, a member of Whitfield Rising, recently brought up this issue during Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s interaction or Brand Bengaluru. “Bengaluru is the Silicon Valley of India and we still don’t have an underground system for our internet connection.”