Indian metro cities are a great example of how the worst things can happen all at the same time. One may think that our civic authorities would learn their lesson after a mishap, but I guess expecting sense and carefulness from them, and the general public too, is out of the question.
Why these harsh words? Because Hyderabad, the next IT hub of India, is currently going through a severe internet outage due to the cutting of cables across the city by the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TGSPDCL). This exercise has been accelerated over the last two weeks after several people were electrocuted in separate incidents due to coming in contact with live electric wires.
Last week, five people died during Janmashtami celebrations in Hyderabad after the chariot they were pulling touched a live wire. Three others were electrocuted to death while transporting a Ganesh idol in similar incidents in Bandlaguda and Amberpet. In response to this, the TGSPDCL started taking down electric cables, disrupting internet services across Hyderabad.
Last-minute action
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has taken umbrage at the act, stating that power cables have nothing to do with the electrocution deaths as internet cables are not live wires. While I am no expert, given that Hyderabad is a major IT city, it is heavily dependent on the internet for its daily functioning.
I am honestly not sure how disrupting internet services is going to save people from electrocution. At least maybe call the internet operators before randomly cutting their lines? We are already dealing with heavy rains, and the Vinayaka or Ganesh Chaturthi festival always falls during the monsoons, so I wonder why the TGSPDCL did not take any action all these days until people started dying.
In fact, many people like myself have always felt that Hyderabad’s skylines are full of ugly cables, which are also dangerous for pedestrians. So, when the electricity board decided to remove cables last year, I thought we would be prepared at least for this year.
However, back to back incidents of electrocution have been shocking, to say the least. More than the indiscriminate chopping of cables, asking the public to be more careful, especially during festival celebrations, would have been appropriate. And even cable operators are now part of the problem.
The Ganesh Chaturthi festival will culminate with the mass immersion of idols in Hyderabad in the next 10 days. And if the government fails to handle this problem smartly, things are only going to get worse. Thousands of people are going to be out on the streets celebrating as always. And cutting all the cables in Hyderabad definitely won’t prevent incidents of electrocution.
In fact, with Telangana facing a heavy rainfall warning until August 29 by the IMD, more and more offices are asking their employees to work from home. That, however, is now almost rendered impossible for hundreds of people, thanks to the wide internet outage across Hyderabad.
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Waiting for a mishap
TGSPDCL officials I spoke to, however, also have a point. One official told me that internet service provider technicians use electricity poles to hang their cables “indiscriminately”.
“The current CMD had asked for cable removals as internet operators were being careless while using our poles. We held meetings since last year and told them to remove it themselves. Our main issue is safety, and nothing else,” one official said.
According to the TGSPDCL, there are a staggering 20 lakh power poles. And cable operators are also to blame for the current impasse as many of them use these poles to hang their wires but don’t remove the unused ones. Electricity department officials in fact also pointed out that they face public ire when any incident happens and that is why they decided to take such “severe” action.
The incident involving the electrocution of five people last week was a result of the chariot touching a long unused wire, according to the TGSPDCL official. Honestly, all of this mess could have been avoided had internet operators been careful.
The electricity department should have been more proactive before the monsoons and the festival season. It was waiting for a mishap to happen. Similarly, operators, on their part, clearly seem unwilling to cooperate. In all this mess, the loser is the general public, who faces severe civic inconveniences, and sometimes even death. An IT hub without the IT part is what Hyderabad has become.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history, and culture. He tweets @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)