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Panchkula: Plaint filed against 3 telecom firms for re-connecting snapped lines
The Panchkula MC had in February snapped optical fibre cables of seven firms in Sector 21 for non-payment of dues against mobile license and towers
The Panchkula municipal corporation (MC) on Tuesday filed a complaint against three telecom firms for re-connecting their mobile phone lines which had been snapped for non-payment of dues.
MC commissioner Virender Lather, said, “The complaint has been filed against three firms - Telesonic, Connect and One-fiber. Several notices have been served to them asking for them to submit their dues or remove their illegal infrastructure.”
MC had in February disconnected optical fibre cables of seven firms in Sector 21 for non-payment of dues against mobile license and towers. These firms include Connect, Net-plus, One-fiber, BSNL, Reliance Jio, Telesonic and Quadrant Televentures Limited.
“A complaint had been earlier filed against Reliance Jio for reconnecting lines without clearing dues or seeking permission from the corporation. If these companies continue with illegal connections, their public license will be cancelled ” Lather said.
He appealed to the public to ensure make sure a company has due clearance from MC before taking internet connections.
MC assistant engineer Manoj Ahlawat, who has been tasked with ensuring that dues are cleared by the companies on time, said, “As per the 2019 policy of urban local bodies, charges are fixed for lease, running metres and digging pits. Every company has to submit an application seeking permission and pay annual fee. They have to renew it by submitting annual charges as per policy.”
He said that three firms – Reliance Jio, Connect and Airtel – owe MC over ₹15 crores dues over the last two years. “We have been issuing notices to them for two months, yet they paid no heed. Hence, on November 30, we snapped their cables in Sectors 4, 11, 15 and 14,” the official said. On the same day, two mobile towers of Reliance Jio were sealed in Sectors 4 and 11.
In the city, there are 328 mobile towers and ₹6.8 crore dues have been cleared for 194 of them.
