Removing illegal cables overhead

At Sector 5

In New Town, NTTIDCO is a joint venture company of Hidco that is responsible for laying underground ducts for allowing cables for internet and TV to be drawn through it. A minimum rent is obtained for covering the costs and for giving the right of way. Even then, in some fringe areas, there are some overhead cables and these are systematicaly removed from time to time in New Town. Special drives were conducted recently.

The problem in Sector 5 however is much more acute. There is no such NTTIDCO equivalent and so NDITA itself has laid underground ducts. I have held meeting with cable operators and explained that not only is this a visual pollution, it is dangerous for the street light poles as these are not designed to carry the load of the innumerable cables. I also told that it is also illegal, as the poles were govt property on govt land and no permission has ever been given. On the same grounds, I reminded them, during elections, the Election Commission prohibits putting up of flags, bnners etc on poles.

We made a Committee consisting of cable operators and engineers of NDITA. They formed a WhatsApp group among them. All help, often not cheap either, was provided when considered by the committee. Date-lines were set, and not adhered to. Street no 13 (Wipro to Ring Road via College More) was targeted first.

After several appeals and last extended days, NDITA itself started cutting the cables (see pic taken yesterday). There are a few murmurs but agencies understand that now we too mean business.
The whole operation will take several months. But a beginning has been made.
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Millennium Post dt 24 June 2017

Khabar 365 dt 24 June 2017