Palike caught in cord mess as OFCs choke public space

The east division of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — which has cleared unauthorised optical fibre cables (OFC) running into several kilometers — does not know what to do with it. With the scrap dealers refusing to take it, the officials have dumped it next to its own building near Queen’s Road.

These telecom wires were removed a month ago as a part of a drive to clear cables that were disrupting pedestrian movement. “These cables do not even have scrap value. We are thinking of sending it to the dry waste collection centre,” a BBMP official said.

Of late, the BBMP has, however, stopped the drive against the removal of unauthorised cables despite complaints from citizens on wires being tied around trees or lying all over the footpath.

The civic body started going soft on the OFC service providers after the centre amended the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules allowing overhead OFC lines with a lifetime licence fee of Rs 1,000 per kilometre.

“We have complained about OFC wires choking the trees or posing a hurdle to pedestrians. The OFC service providers have been doing this because they are confident that the BBMP will not take action. It is not rocket science to provide overhead cables without making it an eyesore,” a resident of New Thippasandra said.

This year, the BBMP has estimated to collect Rs 215 crore as service fee from OFC service providers, up from Rs 120 crore it earned in the last financial year.

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