Repaired cable, left overgound irks residents

CHENNAI: Employees of the BSNL dug up trenches all along a street to locate a faulty cable. They located it and got it repaired. What do you think they would have done next? They faithfully closed the trench leaving the lengthy cable on the ground. Now, the cable which is supposed to be underground is overground all through the street posing hindrance to the residents and road users. The location that witnessed the shoddy work was Balaji Nagar 21st street in suburban Puzhuthivakkam. When pipes were laid for providing metro water connections to the neighbourhood by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), the BSNL landlines snapped en bloc as phone cables were damaged.According to residents, it was double whammy for them. “When the metro water pipes were laid, trenches were dug up at the same time in the entire neighbourhood blocking access to houses. During the course of the work, labourers inadvertently punctured telephone cables and we had to wait for many days till BSNL corrected the problem,” said V Hari, a resident.The arrival of the BSNL men, however, did not solve the problem completely. “The connections were restored after the punctured cables were repaired. But soon, trouble erupted in another spot and phones were dead again.”Though the workers resolved the technical hitch, they did not close the trenches properly and left the cables over the ground inconveniencing the residents. “The cable is exposed to rain and shine which could lead to snapping of connections yet again besides inconveniencing the residents and road users,” Hari said.