Tangled Mess: Overground cables need relaying, fixing in Amritsar

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, December 23

Retail store owners at Landa Bazar demand ducting of electricity wires saying that the unmanageable mesh of wires is causing myriad problems in their daily affairs.

The tangled web of cables belonging to different companies and optical cables of different servers dot the street and corners of the commercial pocket. Situated bang opposite the railway station, the small commercial market has become a hub of mobile handsets recently. Characterised by narrow winding streets, it used to be a ready-made garment market some years ago. Before the opening of the economy in 1990, it used to serve as a hub for selling used imported goods.

Gulshan, a shopkeeper, says the entire market was marked by small-size shops and its limited road network was overwhelmed by the parking of vehicles. A narrow passage is left for commuters to move around. Areas around electric poles are marked by huge heaps of garbage.

Interestingly, some shopkeepers were found displaying garments on cables and poles around a power transformer. Similarly, outdoor units of air-conditioners were installed close to the passing electricity cables. Any snag could mean a potential disaster.

Iqbal Singh, a resident, said the system of shifting energy meters to huge 20-meter boxes hinder the smooth flow of traffic, particularly in these narrow streets. The cluster of meters should be shifted to more open areas nearby.