Remove unnecessary cable wires from electric poles: IAS Musharraf orders operators

Hyderabad: Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) chairman and managing director Musharraf Ali Faruqui on Friday directed cable operators and internet service providers to remove unnecessary cables and other items from electric poles immediately, failing which action would be taken against them.

The order was passed due to hanging cables becoming a potential risk to citizens, especially during the rainy season. To notify cable operators and internet service providers about the removal of cables, the CMD presided over three meetings on July 27, August 7 and August 28.

The department instructed to remove unnecessary cables

During the meeting on August 7, operators were instructed to organise cables in accordance with regulations on main roads within a week, and on other main roads, within two weeks. However, many of them had not done so up until now. The CMD warned that the electricity department staff would start removing cables from the electric poles if the cable operators did not comply with the guidelines.

Elaborating further, Musharraf Ali said that despite their agreement to do so, numerous cable operators and internet service providers are refusing to cooperate and remove cables that are dangling from electric poles.

“We’re going to take stringent action against them. A significant risk to city drivers has emerged from cable TV and internet service providers’ dangling wires attached to lampposts and electric poles,” he said.

According to the company’s latest survey, a majority of unused cables were discovered resting on electric poles, with cables around the entire pole. This finding poses a challenge for power department staff who work on the poles, making repairs more difficult, the CMD added.