Palike to take possession of unclaimed OFCs in City

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has warned the telecom firms that it will take possession of unauthorised Optical Fibre Cables (OFCs) laid in the City if they do not declare ownership and pay the regularisation fee before Saturday.

Addressing reporters, N R Ramesh, who heads the BBMP’s panel on OFCs said many telecom firms have agreed to declare the unauthorised cables laid in the City and pay the regularisation fee before Saturday. Taking their declaration into account, BBMP will claim ownership over the undeclared cables and would auction it to other telecom firms.

Yediyur corporator Ramesh said: “There are about 65,000 km OFCs laid in the City but the telecom firms have disclosed ownership of 7,467 km cables. We have data about the total OFC ducts in the City. If the telecom companies don’t own the rest of the OFCs, we will claim rights over them.”

Ground rent

The corporator said the service providers have agreed to pay Rs 850 per metre as ground rent including regularisation fee. The regularisation of the OFC would fetch at least Rs 400 crore to the BBMP, said Ramesh.

In order to check unauthorised OFCs in the City, the BBMP would accept applications only through online system. 

This will enable the BBMP to review computerised applications and grant permission accordingly. It will also help the BBMP identify where unauthorised cables and ducts are laid afresh and would prevent digging roads without permission for laying OFCs. With the introduction of new system, the telecom firms will be responsible for restoring roads if they dig up to lay cables.

Overhead cables

Ramesh said BBMP commissioner M Lakshminarayana has directed the internet service providers to remove all the overhead cables from the City before January 1, or else the Palike would disconnect them.

The Palike has given temporary relief to the television cable operators who too will have to make some alternative arrangements at the earliest.