Nagpur civic body to bring strict rules for firms digging roads for OFC cables
Nagpur Municipal Corporation will table a proposal making telecom companies responsible for restoring roads dug up for optical fibre cable work.
Telecom companies that dig up roads in Nagpur to lay optical fibre cable (OFC) and leave them unrepaired will no longer get away with it. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation is preparing to rein in such companies, and a proposal fixing accountability will be tabled at the civic body's general body meeting on Wednesday.
The general body meeting will be held at Bhat Sabhagriha. The proposal is expected to be approved after discussion. The central government has notified the new Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, and the new Telecommunications Act, 2023, under which the company concerned will be fully responsible for repairing and restoring any road it digs up.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has completed all preparations to implement this policy. The municipal commissioner has already approved the proposal. It will now be placed before the corporation's general body for information and record.
Under the new rules, telecom companies will have to fulfil a condition at the time of applying for permission to dig up a road. They will have to deposit 20 percent of the repair amount, as fixed according to the rate list of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the corporation as a security deposit in the form of a bank guarantee. Without depositing this security amount, a company will not get permission to dig.
The company will also have to submit an affidavit stating that it will restore the road to its earlier condition within a fixed time limit. The CPWD rates, which are revised from time to time, will be treated as the standard for this purpose.
The state government had issued a government order titled "Maharashtra Telecommunication Infrastructure Guidelines for Urban Bodies, 2022" on December 19, 2022. That older guideline is now being set aside, and the central government's new Right of Way rules are being made mandatory across all municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the state.
The administration says the objective behind the new law and rules is to rapidly expand a strong digital and telecommunications network across the country and the state. This will improve connectivity and also boost economic growth. The rules will also bring relief to city residents, since roads currently remain dug up for months after cable-laying work, causing trouble for people because of the potholes.
