'Bengaluru's Unattended Wires Becoming a Serious Threat,' Say Residents

Unattended cables and wires across Bengaluru have become a menace.

Bengaluru's unattended wires and cables.

(Image courtesy: Namita Chauhan/The Quint)

Once famed for its flourishing gardens, lush landscapes, and magnificent boulevards, the city of Bengaluru is now slowly traversing towards becoming a concrete jungle.

Among the many pestering predicaments haunting the city, I would like to delve into one that's less debated – unattended wires and cables in the city.

This has been a persistent issue in the city. In the below image, you can see unattended cables on the ground and they are all over the town.

Unattended electric wires in Bengaluru.

(Image courtesy: Ajay Raj)

I met and spoke to a few locals around Benson town, RT Nagar, and Williams town in Bengaluru who have been struggling with this issue.

Jairaj, a resident of RT Nagar, said, "Wires and cables are dangling from the electric poles everywhere here. Cables drawn out by private agencies have been lying for weeks on roads. People are scared to walk outside during monsoons as they fear stepping on electric wires accidentally."

Cable wires left unattended. 

(Image courtesy: Ajay Raj)

Electric wires in the open. 

(Image courtesy: Ajay Raj)

Wires unattended, no response from authorities.

(Image courtesy: Ajay Raj)

"It’s been there for a while. It gets worse during monsoon or when the wind blows rapidly. Not only here, as you can see, the entire locality is plagued by these unfinished wires. This is the same wherever I go."

Anto, Resident

Anto further added, "We have tried complaining to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) a number of times. They assure they’ll send someone but do not. I am concerned about children. What if they accidentally touch the wires?"

While very few incidents get reported in the media where people have lost lives due to these unattended wires, there are several unreported fatalities occurring due to electrocution, especially by coming into contact with live wires and cables in public places.

Unattended wires in the loacality.

(Image courtesy: Ajay Raj)

Of late, unattended cables, wires, and electric cords that are unleashed and orphaned in the city have become an unpalatable menace to commuters. This isn't an issue of one locality rather an impending problem of the entire city.

Authorities Need to Take Up Responsibility

In most cases, private advertising agencies, and internet providers are culprits behind the deaths of people by accidentally touching the unattended wires or cables in public areas.

These wires drawn out to light up advertisement boards, name plates and facilitate internet services are mostly done in a hasty and reckless manner.

BESCOM, BBMP, and other civic authorities too have their fair share in this incautious deed. They are equally responsible for their mistakes and failing in their duties.

Agencies like BBMP, which is the foremost government institution dealing with civic matters in Bengaluru, has the onus of conducting special drives against illegal electric connections that pose dangers to the public.

Public servants like IAS, IPS, KAS, and other officers have an important role to play in the life of general public through implementation of their policies and decisions. Bureaucrats heading these institutions should leave no stone unturned in bringing the lawbreakers to justice.

The Quint reached out to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike for their response on the same. We received a reply from the authorities asking to mark the sender so their complaint can be addressed.

(The author is a translator, currently working with the American university, Washington D.C. All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)