Stanly Bantwal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jul 2: While several footpaths in Mangaluru city have been improved, residents have raised serious concerns over cables hanging across pedestrian walkways, posing a threat to public safety.

Mangaluru is renowned as an educational, medical, religious, port, industrial, tourism and beach city. It is also a Smart City. However, due to the negligence of some agencies, the city is gradually losing its appeal.

At several locations across the city, cables laid by various companies have been strung along electricity poles. In many places, these cables hang over footpaths like creeping vines and tree roots, obstructing the movement of pedestrians. In some areas, broken cables are lying directly on the footpaths.

As a result, schoolchildren and pedestrians have reportedly tripped over the cables and sustained injuries. Despite these incidents, the departments concerned are alleged to have turned a blind eye to the problem.

Residents have questioned whether the authorities who granted permission for such cable installations have given adequate thought to the safety of the thousands of people who use these roads every day.

They have urged officials and public representatives, who proudly refer to Mangaluru as a Smart City, to ensure that the dangling cables are properly secured and to initiate appropriate action against those responsible for leaving them hanging across pedestrian pathways. They have also called upon the concerned departments to make the city free of unsightly cables and enhance its overall beauty.