Public and private companies are equally at fault as the wires belong to telephone and internet service providers and in some cases, the electricity department.

With monsoon approaching, the wires could be a cause for worry. “This has been the case for the past year or so. We have called the authorities’ attention to the issue but there is little or no response. The wires swing low and are bunched up. I am not even sure they are live power transmission lines or ISP feeders. We have elderly people walking around and children playing. I am definitely worried about the callousness of the authorities,” Latif, a resident of Sundar Nagar, said.

DT Next, on inquiries, found the issue to be at least one year old. Post-cyclone Vardah, as the city looks to switch to underground cabling, one of the employment hubs looks impeded by its neglect to upgrade infrastructure.

“Overhead cables like this are not fit for the city. With so many residents flagging it, the authorities should act. We have seen that the wires pose a safety hazard and get damaged during rains. So, this requires immediate action and not delays,” said Supriya Kumarasamy, an employee at an IT company in Olympia Tech Park, who walks around the area on a daily basis. “Whenever there is even a light shower, we are scared to walk around. We hail a cab and call a cab rather take the risk,” she added.

Somasundaram of SIDCO sais, “We get calls from people and we take action. But the issue crops up again. When private service providers for internet and phones get permission, they do so for underground cabling. But when there is an issue that needs fixing they use overhead cables to fix it as a quick fix. We have tried repeatedly to warn them to not resort to such measures which put the public at risk.”