Pune : Policenama online | A proposal to locate illegal cables, penalising the firms concerned and their regularisation has proved to be a big bonanza for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
An agency appointed to find out illegal cables has registered around 7,440 km of overhead cables in the city. More than half of these cables belong to Jio Digital Fiber Pvt Ltd while the remaining cables are owned by Evision Teleinfra Pvt Ltd, which has leased them out to other teleoperators and internet service providers.
The civic body has issued notices to these companies. As per the PMC policy, regularisation of the underground cables is done by charging a 10 percent penalty for digging. The PMC will most probably get Rs 90.70 crore as penalty and Rs 9,070 crore as digging charges. Thus, the civic body is likely to get Rs 10,060 crore revenue.
The civic body’s policy
The civic administration has decided to survey overhead cables, which deface the city, and legal and illegal underground TV, internet and broadband cables. Illegal overhead cables are causing accidents. The PMC is losing revenue too.
The PMC has appointed M/s Era Tele Infra Pvt Ltd to complete the survey in the next three years. It will be paid 4 percent of fines and regularisation charges recovered from the erring companies.
The agency has surveyed overhead cables. It found 3,890-km illegal overhead cables of Jio Digital Fiber Pvt Ltd. Around 3,550-km illegal overhead cables belong to Evision Tele Infra, which leases out these cables to teleoperators such as Vodafone Idea, Airtel, Bharti Infratel, Tata Communications, etc. PMC Road Department superintendent engineer VG Kulkarni revealed this.
All overhead cables are illegal. The companies will be served notices to lay them underground. Permission will be given for this purpose. The PMC will get huge revenue on this account. It will also stop defacing the city, stated the proposal prepared by the civic administration.
Current digging charges
Companies providing internet, broadband services are charged Rs 12,191 per metre as digging charges. Mahadiscom is charged Rs 2,350 per metre. MNGL pays Rs 6,000 per metre. According to the PMC’s new policy, all types of overhead, TV, internet, broadband cables will be regularised by recovering the current digging charges and 5 percent penalty. The illegal overhead OFC cables will be charged the current reinstatement charge and 10 percent fine.
Will the PMC get these charges?
Illegal mobile towers built by teleoperator firms owe thousands of crores of rupees on account of property tax to the PMC. They have challenged the tax in the court. The high court is hearing the case. There is a nexus between teleoperators and politicians. There is ‘pressure from above’ on the PMC to roll out a red carpet to these teleoperators, it is alleged.
Web Title : Pune Municipal Corporation strikes a pot gold, to get Rs 10,060 crore revenue
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