The Indian Express            12.09.2013

400-km illegal TV cables confiscated in Pimpri

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is removing illegal television cables and have cleared around 400 km of cable so far with the help of cable operators and internet providers, officials said. The civic action has, however, affected cable TV connections in many homes.

"Cable television operators and internet connection providers on their own also removed cables covering a stretch of 150 km. We removed the remaining cables, covering a stretch of 253 km," officials said.

PCMC has conceded that it has no policy regarding laying television and internet cables. It has now decided to prepare a policy for laying underground cables. The policy will be prepared by a team comprising town planning department, law department, city engineer and electrical departments in the next three months.

Though PCMC officials claimed that they had earlier given a notice to local cable television operators. Operators, however, said no such notice was given. PCMC official said they had asked them to remove the unauthorised cables drawn over the streetlights by August 31 or else face action.

"The cable operators refused to follow our directive. Therefore, PCMC started removing the cables from September 1," senior officials said. Though the drive has been halted due to Ganeshotsav, PCMC said it will be revived soon.

PCMC has appealed to private cable television operators to contact the city engineer's office or the executive engineer of engineering department with their plan to lay underground cables.