Even as the State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) faces intense competition for telecommunication services from private players, Mysore Telecom District officials are up in arms over the damage to their underground cables on account of the development works in the city.
The root cause of most of the complaints they are receiving for disruption in landline or broadband services can be traced to developmental works taken up by the civic authorities in the city. “Even though we rectify the problem as early as possible, fresh complaints start pouring in. It is happening on an unprecedented scale due to the developmental works,” said Principal General Manager of Mysore Telecom District T.V. Venkatram.
The underground BSNL cables become the first casualty whenever road is repaired, drains are constructed, and sewer or water pipes are laid. “Private players are relatively insulated from the problem not because their cables are cleverly laid. BSNL is worst-hit among all the telecom service providers as we have the widest network of cables,” said S. Muralidhara, Divisional Engineer, Udayagiri, Mysore Telecom District.
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The ongoing works on Raja Marga are affecting hundreds of BSNL customers, who are complaining of disruption of landlines and broadband service, said BSNL officials. Under Raja Marga project, prime roads around Mysuru Palace including Sayyaji Rao Road are being upgraded. However, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Executive Engineer Krishna Bovi contended that the BSNL authorities are intimated in advance when developmental works are taken up. The onus is on them to be present on the spot to ensure that the underground cables of utilities are protected and shifted causing the least inconvenience to customers.