Kolkata: Cable removal work comes to a halt after traffic signal lines, CCTV wires damaged

KOLKATA: Removal of defunct cable TV, broadband and telephone wires, which had started across the city last Tuesday, has come to a halt in parts of south Kolkata after several traffic signal wires were snapped and some closed-circuit TV (CCTV) wires were damaged during the work.
While the traffic lights have been restored, the CCTV cameras remained functional.
While the Kolkata Police has started coordinating with its maintenance agencies to get the wires mounted again, a permission to resume the snapping of dead cables in the area, including Sarat Bose Road, Hazra Road and Elgin Road, is expected by Monday.
The cables that had led chief minister Mamata Banerjee to seek their removal three years ago are being snapped across 10 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It is being supervised by the All Bengal Cable TV and Broadband Operators’ United Forum.
“Unfortunately, our men have pulled down some of the traffic signal wires in and around Sarat Bose Road while snapping dead cables. We were not aware that the lines were there and have now identified them with the help of the police,” said Forum convenor Tapash Das.
Meanwhile, the work to pull down dead cables is on in several parts of north and central Kolkata. The dead cables have already been pulled down along several stretches, including Galiff Street-Chittaranjan Avenue, Sovabazar-Khanna cinema and SN Banerjee Road.
“We had identified and tagged the dead cables over several days last week. The pulling down started last Tuesday and will continue for a month, which will be the first phase of the work. Depending on the progress, we will begin the next phase,” said Saha.
Wires are being pulled down in areas under wards 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 70, 71, 72 and 73. Among the important stretches in south Kolkata that will be freed of dead wires are Sarat Bose Road-Ramesh Mitra Road, Hazra Road- Elgin Road, Hazra Road- Ramesh Mitra Road and Southern Avenue-Sarat Bose Road intersection to Exide crossing, via Minto Park.
In north Kolkata, dead cables are being removed from Galiff Street to the Exide crossing, along Chittaranjan Avenue and Esplanade, apart from the Khanna cinema to Sovabazar and Vivekananda Road to Chittaranjan Avenue stretches.
All dead cables from Moulali to the Dorina crossing in Esplanade will be snipped along SN Banerjee Road. At each stretch, six to 10 men have been appointed to pull down the wires.