India, Feb. 26 -- From congested wholesale markets to dense residential areas, Ludhiana continues to live under a silent but deadly threat - a sprawling network of dangling, tangled, and low-hanging power cables that residents say has turned everyday movement into a calculated risk. Even as Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has cleared tenders worth Rs.23.04 crore to fix the problem, large parts of the city remain exposed, with only limited on-ground work visible so far.

The danger is most acute in the city's oldest and busiest commercial zones. From Bhadaur House to Chaura Bazar, Mochpura, Meena Bazar, Kesar Ganj Market, Barsati Bazar, Gur Mandi and Daresi, overhead cables hang precariously above narrow lanes teeming with s...