Reach for the sky no more: Cables go underground

After 600 kilometers of overhead cables were removed last year, work has begun to remove another 100 kilometers, the city’s housing and urban-rural development bureau says.

But the bureau found some cables that had been removed have been replaced — about one-third of the 600 kilometers.

“Many of these cables were installed by telecoms companies,” said Cui Shihua, from the overhead cable removal office of the bureau. “Simply hanging cables over the streets is much cheaper than burying them underground.”

The bureau said removing cables is mostly done at night to minimize the impact on the public.

“For the companies or individuals who again try to draw lines overhead, they will lose points in the credit information system which will cost them penalties and denials of loan,” said Chen.

So far, 1,400 overhead cables illegally installed after the campaign started have been removed.

Meanwhile, the campaign is also targeting the cable boxes at the junction of streets.

Zhu Chengyu, who is in charge of the campaign, said the bureau has issued a new regulation on the size and standardized function of the boxes.

“The new boxes will not occupy the space of the pedestrians,” Zhu said. “And they are smaller for most of the cables are now buried underground.”