Take a turn down M.G. Road towards Commissariat Road and you are treated to the sight of cables hanging from decades-old trees, a jarring note on an otherwise well-maintained stretch. Even TenderSURE roads are not spared.
TenderSURE roads were touted as model roads with ducts for cables to eliminate the visual pollution from ungainly cables. But heaps of cables are strung over trees and electricity poles on many of the roads in the Central Business District, such as Richmond Road, Residency Road, M.G. Road and Brigade Road.
“This is a road built at a cost of ₹12 crore per km, and they have not stuck to their basic promise of a pedestrian-friendly experience,” said Peter Samson, a member of Lancha Mukta Karnataka Nirmana Vedike (LMKNV), who lodged a complaint with the BBMP commissioner in February about overhead cables and frequent digging up of TenderSURE roads.
The cash-strapped BBMP is losing out on a source of revenue. Companies need to pay a permission fee and a per km running rate, which depends on the type of road. For use of the ducts under TenderSURE roads, BBMP wants ₹500 per running metre, but so far only one telecom company has taken up the offer.
M.K. Gunashekar, Chairman, Tax and Finance Standing Committee, said that the civic body has instructed local engineers to identify unauthorised cables and estimate the potential revenue. "We have asked the companies concerned to reroute their cables through our ducts," said Mr. Gunashekar. They have been given a week to comply or risk removal of the cables, he added.
Vijay Kumar, Executive Engineer (OFC Cell), BBMP said, "We had issued notices and given time to telecom companies to use our ducts. Only a few telecom companies have responded. We will give them another six days before we start removing the cables."
Not just TenderSURE
The problem is not limited to TenderSURE roads. Residents can see unsightly cables coiled around trees which are more than 40 years old in several parts of the city.
Under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (regulation of cable laying) Rules, telecom operators have to obtain permission from the BBMP to hang cables over roads.
The city has nearly 14,000 km of roads and a lot of them have cables running overhead. Yet, most companies have not submitted details of their cables.
"Some companies have declared a few 100 km of cables, but this is a small fraction of what exists," a BBMP official claimed.
