Internet Blackout to Deepen As TGSPDCL to Continue Haphazard Cable Removal for Public Safety

 Hyderabad: The blackout of internet and cable services in parts of the city is set to continue, or even worsen, with the southern discom (TGSPDCL) on the back of a court order cutting down cables illegally hung from electricity poles, even as service providers have not move in a big way to remove their cables.

The disruption this stand-off is causing is expected to worsen the difficulties for IT employees and those working from home, as the Discom has committed to continuing its operations in strict compliance with High Court orders. The crackdown on the illegal cables started after the electrocution of six persons during a religious procession last month.

Private internet service providers (ISPs) and cable operators have shown little interest in tackling the critical issue of removing unused, tangled, and dangerously dangling cables from power poles. Instead, they have been sending misleading and repetitive messages to consumers, promising restoration of services “soon” while frequently extending vague timelines.

Dr N. Narasimhulu, director of operations, TGSPDCL, told Deccan Chronicle that while official permission for cable installation existed for only1,73,608 poles out of the city’s 20 lakh poles, ISPs and cable TV providers had illegally laid cables on almost every pole.

The tangled state of cables also hampers the power department’s ability to identify unused or defunct lines. In some instances, cables run from building to building or from poles to buildings across live electrical lines. When snapped by external factors, these wires fall onto power lines, causing outages and accidents.

Over 14 months, TGSPDCL held six meetings with 32 cable operators, instructing them to remove unused cables and raise hanging bundles. Despite repeated warnings, providers failed to comply, forcing the Discom to remove low-hanging, tangled, and congested cables to ensure public safety and uninterrupted maintenance.

GFX

Shocking situation

TGSPDCL’s rules require

Service providers to ensure safety measures for optical fibre installations.

Avoid obstructing maintenance work.

Paid leased poles for easy identification.

Fitting equipment like backhaul devices prohibited.

Tapping of electricity from low-tension lines banned.

Actual situation

Cables have been installed in disorganised bundles.

Some cables often hang as low as five feet above ground.

Cables run on top of power lines; snapped cables cause power outages.

In most cases, it is difficult to identify service provider cables.

Old cables not removed, increasing chaos.