Tabanan to Implement Underground Cabling to Prevent Disruptions to Cultural Processions
The Tabanan Regency Government has begun efforts to reorganise the network of cables that have long appeared cluttered and overlapping. The government plans to bury network cables underground, particularly in the city centre and several main arterial roads.
Regent of Tabanan, I Komang Gede Sanjaya, stated that this arrangement will involve all network providers. This step is being taken to make the urban area neater while simultaneously enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the Tabanan Regency.
“There is now a local regulation in place that provides a legal basis for this. We will soon summon all providers to sit down together with the goal of beautifying the face of the city,” said Sanjaya following a Plenary Session at the Tabanan DPRD Building on Monday (21/09/2026).
According to Sanjaya, the cable rearrangement will not disrupt access or network services to the public. The network will remain functional, but its placement will be organised so that it does not overlap or interfere with aesthetics.
Sanjaya noted that priority areas include government centres, public facilities, and the city centre. In these areas, the future target is to eliminate visible cable poles as the network will be buried underground.
Public roads and main protocols, such as the Tabanan Regency welcome gates, will also be directed towards underground networks. Meanwhile, for arterial networks leading to residential areas, poles may still be permitted in certain sections; however, the connections to individual homes will eventually be directed to each property’s premises.
The cable rearrangement is not solely about urban aesthetics. According to Sanjaya, this step will also provide more comfortable space for the community to conduct Balinese traditional and cultural activities.
One of the persistent issues has been the presence of low-hanging cables when the community holds traditional ceremonies involving tall structures. “For Balinese people, this is a positive development for traditional and cultural events. For instance, when the community holds a Ngaben ceremony, no matter how high the ‘bade’ (cremation tower) is, it will not be obstructed by crossing cables,” he said.
The same applies to Ogoh-ogoh parades or Melasti ceremonies. With cables no longer spanning across the roads, it is hoped that parade organisers will no longer need the hassle of lifting cables with tools to allow the Ogoh-ogoh to pass through.
Sanjaya emphasised that the fundamental target of this arrangement is to ensure that cable networks in strategic areas of Tabanan are placed underground. Regarding the implementation timeline, Sanjaya mentioned that the underlying regulations are already available and implementation is underway. The Tabanan Regency Government has also sought permission from the Bali Provincial Government.
Through this arrangement, the Tabanan Regency Government aims to ensure that the city centre and the regency in general become neater, more organised, and no longer cluttered with tangled cables.
“The goal is to beautify the face of the city and the Tabanan Regency as a whole, ensuring it is no longer messy due to cables,” he concluded.