HYDERABAD: Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana (TSPDCL) and telecom operators have agreed on an action plan to address the hazards posed by low-hanging cables. The agreement was reached during a meeting chaired by TSPDCL CMD Musharraf Faruqui on Thursday, which brought together stakeholders from Airtel, Jio and others.
Under the plan, cables must be raised to 18 feet along roads and 20 feet across roads, or maintained two feet below live conductors. Operators will deploy teams for bunching and securing cables, while circle-wise coordination will be overseen by superintending engineers.
The CMD emphasized that the decision to cut non-compliant cables came only after more than 20 meetings over one and a half years, during which operators failed to rectify violations despite multiple opportunities.
Middela Jitender, President of Telangana Cable TV, Internet & Telecom Service Providers and Welfare Associations, told TNIE: “There has been an understanding between the power department and the association, and it would take at least a week or more to restore around 1,100 to 1,200 km of cables cut by the power department. On September 11 alone, around 500 km of cables were cut, disrupting around 70% of the network. We request consumers to cooperate with us as we are working on restoring connections at the earliest.”
The agreement, reached after prolonged discussions, is being seen as a breakthrough that promises improved safety.