September 1, Monday: Gangtok, the picturesque capital of Sikkim, has long been marred by a growing web of tangled wires and hanging cables that have cluttered the city’s skyline. To tackle this, the Gangtok District Administration has launched ‘Mission Clean Sky’, to remove redundant cables connections.
“It is about beautification, long-term disaster management, and enhancing the experience for tourists and residents alike,” Gangtok District Magistrate Tushar Nikhare told East Mojo.
“It took us 10 to 20 days just to direct internet service providers to clean their wires around the Lal Bazaar Shopping Complex. Then we thought, why stop there? Tourists appreciate the beauty of Gangtok and MG Marg, but the common feedback was that hanging cables spoil the charm of the place. That is how we decided to scale up this initiative.”
Mission Clean Sky aims to declutter Gangtok’s skyline and enhance safety
Under Mission Clean Sky, internet service providers have been instructed to clear out old, unused connections that often remain hanging when customers switch companies. “If you remove the dead weight, 50 percent of the problem is solved. For active wires, we are asking providers to either take them underground or route them through building ledges that can support them,” Nikhare said.
“When disasters happen, tangled and unregulated cables make the situation worse. Cleaning up these networks helps reduce vulnerabilities,” he added.
The clean-up is being carried out in phases, starting with Gangtok’s busiest hubs. “MG Marg is our prime area of concern, followed by Lal Bazaar. Today, we extended the drive to the highway stretch from the taxi stand to Paljor Namgyal Girls School Road,” the District Magistrate said.
Each phase runs on a 7–10 day timeline, with reviews to track progress. "There will be some inconvenience. Internet has become a basic necessity, and people will feel the impact. But this is for a bigger cause. No cost will be passed on to consumers—we are banking on internet service providers to bear the expense as part of their corporate responsibility,” he reassured.
