Tangled Mess: Electricity wires, cables on Batala Road an eyesore

Neerj Bagga

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Amritsar, December 16

The residents of Batala road are irked at the mesh of wires belonging to myriad companies passing close to the entrances of their houses and shops.

The tangled web of electricity wires and optical cables of different servers dot the entire stretch which is highly commercial and an elevated lane for the BRTS passes in its middle, further congesting the limited infrastructure.

Tarsem Lal, a shopkeeper, said a transformer, installed in front of his shop years ago, has not been removed despite his repeated complaints. He said each street corner and every pole on the road was marked by huge heaps of garbage on the ground below. “This compromises the hygiene in serving freshly cooked food to customers. The road has a large number of joints serving different kinds of food.”

Another store owner Harjit Singh said cables of different sizes pass closely to their commercial outlets and residences. They not only obscure the view of the facade of their buildings but also offer a sordid look. Besides, it also points to lopsided workmanship. He said the PSPCL and other agencies having their cable network must employ modern quality techniques like laying cables underground or ducting all of them in a hollow pipe.

Officials of the PSPCL said the corporation has got its elaborate infrastructure on Batala road and adjoining Verka. For instance, it has a 132-kV grid sub-station, a store building, a metering lab and other installations. They said as per the norms, they laid transmission and other power cables through aerial and underground routes.