Kottayam: Look up while walking through the city streets, and a terrifying hazard looms overhead. A chaotic web of telephone, cable TV, and internet wires - strung illegally and haphazardly around utility poles - has become a grave threat to residents and a hurdle to the town's development.

Massive, sagging bundles of cables have turned major thoroughfares into an eyesore. Worse still, these lines are often run recklessly close to live electricity lines, which locals warn is a major fire hazard waiting to happen.

The danger on the ground is just as real. Low-hanging cables pose a constant risk of snagging the handlebars of two-wheelers, while pedestrians are left dodging loops that could easily trip them. During heavy winds and rain, snapped cables have triggered accidents in the past. The biggest grievance among residents is the sheer negligence of the agencies involved, who neither bundle their cables responsibly nor bother to remove defunct, abandoned wires.

This aerial clutter is also creating a nightmare for maintenance workers attempting to repair street lights or carry out electrical line work. Residents are now demanding immediate action to strip unused and unauthorized cables from utility poles. They are urging the Municipality and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to step in and transition to a modern, underground cabling system to ensure long-term public safety.