Activists said that besides the obvious defacement, these wires also pose a threat to life, at times. In a 2018 incident at Charni Road, a dumper dragged a hanging wire across the road leading to a street light collapsing. The pole in turn snapped an overhead wire. The incident led to 54 trains getting cancelled during peak hours.

The civic body must see that beauty goes hand in hand with safety. While there is considerable debate and dissension about lighting up the city, one does agree that there will be no one opinion about this, the safety aspect should be non-negotiable. We must have a comprehensive and visionary policy for these wires and cables. Comprehensive means that it covers all corners and infra of the city. Visionary, as in futuristic as so much work is being done in the city with reference to public infra projects, so wires and cables, how they should be tied up or ensuring that these are not inadvertently affected during the ongoing work. Thirdly, these policies should be time-bound so that these cables etc., are cleared within a dedicated time frame. There must also be routine inspections and periodic checks so that the problems do not recur and any lapses are rectified immediately.