Ganesh and Redza taking a closer look at the cut TM cable left on a manhole cover at Jalan Setaka, Taman Palm Grove, Klang.
Thieves who stole underground copper cables have disrupted phone connections of several homes in Taman Palm Grove, Klang, Selangor. Concrete manhole covers have been removed and placed on road shoulders while remnants of cut cables and plastic fragments litter the road verge along Jalan Setaka and Jalan Terap.
According to residents, Telekom Malaysia (TM) workers have been working along the two roads to restore the telephone service.
Special needs teacher K. Chitra Devi, 50, said the phone lines had been down since June 28.
“It has been about two weeks that the landline phone connection has been out of service.
“I called TM and have been told that work to restore the connection is ongoing. It is an inconvenience,” she said.
Chitra added that she had asked TM workers at the site along Jalan Setaka about the cause of the disruption and was told that the cables had been cut.
Copper cables form a basic part of communication systems and the metal can be found in telephone lines, electrical utilities and certain plumbing fixtures.
A scrap metal with one of the highest value, copper can be sold for about RM25 per kilogramme at scrap yards.
Retired technician Redza Abdullah, 59, said the copper thieves had wreaked havoc on the utility lines at about 5am.
“On checking with the neighbours, I found out that four men had come to Jalan Setaka where they removed the manhole cover and ripped out the cables.
“I am concerned that criminals are resorting to cable theft in this neighbourhood.
“With manhole covers removed, a gaping hole of 1.2m could result in a nasty fall or a motorcyclist might run into it, as some of the manholes are located after a bend in the road,” he said.
Retiree G. Ganesh, 63, said thefts of this nature caused major inconvenience.
He was concerned for the senior citizens who relied on the landline phone service.
“We do not want this to become a trend in Taman Palm Grove or in other housing areas.
“It is important that the police increase their patrols here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Taman Palm Grove Rukun Tetangga committee member Subhash Kumaran, 58, who had lodged a police report at the south Klang police headquarters on July 12, said the copper thefts had disrupted the landline phones and Unifi line.
In the police report, Subhash said he had contacted TM to close the gaping manhole for residents’ safety and urged the police to conduct patrols in the area.
“The Unifi line connection has been restored but the TM landline service is still out.
“We cannot afford to let incidents like this go without being addressed,” he added. Ganesh (left) and Redza taking a closer look at the cut telephone cable left on a manhole cover at Jalan Setaka in Taman Palm Grove, Klang.
(Far right) A manhole cover left opened with protruding cables in an alley off Jalan Terap in Palm Grove. —Photos: KK SHAM/The Star
Ganesh and Redza taking a closer look at the cut TM cable left on a manhole cover at Jalan Setaka, Taman Palm Grove, Klang.
Chitra says the landline phone has been out for about two weeks.
A manhole cover left opened with cables protruding out in an alley off Jalan Terap in Palm Grove. — Photos: KK SHAM/The Star
