R-Jio files case against Rajkot contractors

Reliance Jio, telecom arm of flagship Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), on Saturday lodged a police complaint against the contractors, who it held responsible for laying another company’s optical fiber cable (OFC) network illegally, along with laying R-Jio’s OFCs in Rajkot.

Rajkot Municipal Corporation had last week levied an ad hoc penalty of Rs 1 crore on Reliance Jio for what it called "discrepancies found in cable laying approvals" taken by the company from the civic body.

It was alleged that while Reliance Jio was issued permission to lay cable for a particular company, it had used the permission to additionally lay cable of some another company.

The company in a press statement on Sunday claimed that R-Jio had received due permission for laying OFC network in Rajkot city area from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation in December 2013.

The company had roped in two contractors – M/s Dipak C Kachhadia and M/s AA Patel for installing the OFC network. These two companies in connivance with themselves and M/s. Ishan Infotech simultaneously laid OFCs of M/s. Ishan Infotech ‘keeping the authorities of Reliance Jio in dark’.

R-Jio claimed that it was completely innocent in the entire issue and has therefore filed the complaint against the contractors.