Knotty affair: Countless cobweb of wires rile shopkeepers in Katra Sher Singh Market

Amritsar, July 16

Countless black cables tied to electricity and streetlight poles and crisscrossing over the street, behind which facades and display boards of shops are hardly visible, greet a visitor as he enters Katra Sher Singh, the wholesale medicine market, in the Hall Bazaar area.

The area is named after, Maharaja Sher Singh, the eldest of twins of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The shopkeepers here complained that private companies had installed wires along with transmission lines of the power corporation running parallel to their shops in a haphazard manner.

Electricity and streetlight poles in the area are being misused by private Internet companies and telecom service and cable television network providers.

A shopkeeper Gurmeet Singh said, “These loose hanging cables are an eyesore and also inconvenience commuters.” He said one could easily touch these cables while walking on the road. He said, “At some places these wires are so low that one has to bend while walking on the road.”

One of the busiest markets in the old city, Katra Sher Singh is visited by thousands of people every day. It is also the largest wholesale medicine market in the entire Majha region which caters to the needs of pharmacies from four districts.

The residents of the area say the Municipal Corporation must come up with some norms regarding use of public infrastructure by private companies for laying their cables.

“At least, the MC can ask private firms to install cables in a duct so that these do not dangle,” said Kewal Ram, a resident.