E-Paper
PMC removes unauthorised optical fibre cables in Wanowrie
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has removed unauthorised optical fibres in the Wanowrie area while filing a police complaint against unknown persons for laying the cables underground
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has removed unauthorised optical fibres in the Wanowrie area while filing a police complaint against unknown persons for laying the cables underground.
The PMC road department had in the past given permission to lay underground optical fibres to telecom companies including government and private.
In Wanowrie, the PMC road department found that one of the private telecom companies laid down 700 metres of optical fibre near Shivarkar garden area. The local residents registered a complaint to PMC officials.
Sunil Kadam, executive engineer of road department said, “We had given permission for 300 metres of cables to the VPPN firm. The company paid for 200 metres; however, we came to know from local residents that the company placed a total of 700 metres underground cables.”
“When we contacted the company officials, they denied it. So, we filed a complaint against an unknown person and have removed the unauthorised cables with the help of machinery on Monday,” Kadam said.
As per the demand of telecom companies, the civic body’s road department officials scrutinise applications from private firms and charge ₹10,155 per metre for laying the cable.
“As per normal procedure, PMC officials check maps and drawings submitted by agencies and visit the site to crosscheck the permitted cables and actual laid cables. There is no third-party checking,” he said.
According to PMC road officials, for the last two years no permission was given to any company. Right now, the PMC road department has given around 150 kilometres of permission to telecom companies to lay underground cables.
Agency to identify unauthorised cables
The PMC has sanctioned a trenching policy in the city to streamline the process of laying underground pipelines or cables and avoid occurrence of faults, requiring excavation for carrying out repairs and bringing the excavated surface back to its original status. Besides this, PMC wanted to stop unauthorised or illegal installation of cables or digging in the city.
The officials found that private telecom companies are not following the norms mentioned in the trenching policy. Citizens are complaining about illegal digging and laying optical fibres in the areas, said a civic official.
Taking cognisance of citizen complaints and in an attempt to boost the revenue of the corporation, the PMC has taken a decision to appoint an agency to find out illegal cables in the city.
