At a time when residents of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other cyclone-hit urban areas are struggling to get electric, mobile and Internet connections, their problems have been multiplied by thieves as they have stolen away electric wires, LED bulbs from electric poles, Internet equipments and telecom fibre cables.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had fitted LED bulbs and tube lights on about 10,000 poles. However, antisocial elements stole away them within hours of recession of the cyclone.
The thieves also stole costly electric cables and even personal service wires from some places. It all came to the fore during the ongoing restoration operations.
Nobody knows when LED bulbs would be fitted again on reinstalled roles, apprehend citizens. Similar is the situation in the case of telecommunication.
The thieves have not only stolen telephone wires and other equipments from the damaged poles, they have also taken away optical fibre cables and the boxes connecting these items.
This has posed a big problem for the telecom authorities in restoring Internet connection though they are trying to do the bjob as fast as they can.
Even at some places where new fibre cables and boxes are being reinstalled, the thieves are not also leaving these new sets safe.
The problem continues as the new installations are left unguarded and due to lack of police patrolling in the cyclone-hit areas.
