Kochi Corporation to straighten dangling wires

KOCHI: As part of Kochi City Beautification Project, proposed in this year’s budget, the Corporation will have ducts alongside roads to lay underground cables. “At least three metres of the roadsides will be set aside for the sewage canal and another three metres will be used for laying private cables. Hopefully, this will solve the issue of loosely hanging tangled wires on the roadsides,” said Soumini Jain, chairperson, Works Standing Committee, Kochi Corporation. The project will be funded through public-private-partnership (PPP).The issue of dangling wires along the roadsides have become a major problem in the city. The sight is common even on the main roads like S A Road, M G Road, Janatha Road etc.Traffic AC Baby Vinod (East) said, “The Corporation continues to grant permission to the cable operators to lay wires wherever they want. Now, the  responsibility has fallen on the police to call the Fire and Safety Department workers to come and cut the wires.”Earlier, an order was passed asking the private operators to set up separate posts to draw their wires. But, now it is found that many of the cable wires found to be hanging loosely in the public places dangle from electric posts. “We will take strict action against such offenders,” Soumini Jain added.