Mapusa civic body, power dept have no plans to remove cables
Data cables strung from electricity poles create a public nuisance and give a shabby look to the city of Mapusa.
Photo Credits: Agnelo Pereira
MAPUSA
The issue of dangling TV and data cables has become a widespread problem across Goa, with authorities failing to regulate service providers who use public property to hoist their cables.
These hanging cables, strung from electricity poles, not only create a public nuisance but also pose a serious threat to life and property, giving the town a dishevelled appearance.
Service providers of cable TV, internet, and telephone services have adopted hazardous practices by recklessly using government property for connectivity. This negligence can turn dangerous if these dangling cables come into contact with live electric wires.
"Things can go awry when television cables and electricity lines run parallel and come in contact with each other. Most service providers fail to comply with safety standards," an official from the power department stated.
The chaotic network of cables on electricity poles creates significant problems for the department’s staff during breakdowns.
Recently, the main Mapusa market area has been gripped by the nuisance of cut cables discarded on pavements and roadsides.
These cables pose a danger to pedestrians, who could get entangled and fall, causing problems for market visitors.
Social worker and Mapusa resident Shekar Naik emphasised the need for municipal action.
"The municipality should remove such television or internet cables and issue fines to the service providers. Such cables pose a danger to pedestrians and motorists," Naik said.
Senior officials in the power department disclosed that a Vasco-based agency manages the issue of permitting service providers to hoist overhead cables on electricity poles.
"We are against this practice of allowing data cables to run over electricity poles, but at times we are helpless," a senior power department official admitted.
Some cables hang so low that they even pose a danger to motorists.
Concerned citizens believe that authorities should take action against operators who use government property in violation of rules.
However, the Mapusa civic body currently has no plans to address these chaotic cables.
"It’s for the council to take a decision against the cables that are strung on various electricity poles and other public property," a senior officer in the administration stated.
As the situation persists, the residents of Goa continue to call for decisive action to address the public safety hazards and aesthetic blight caused by these dangling cables.
