Deccan Herald             16.12.2013

Telecom firms to regularise illegal OFCs

Telecom firms have finally fallen in line by
agreeing to regularise the unauthorised optical fibre cables (OFCs) laid
across the City.

N R Ramesh, chairperson of the Palike
committee on OFCs, said the firms had agreed to pay the fine and
regularise the cables laid by them. The decision was arrived at a
meeting chaired by Mayor B S Satyanarayana, in which the executives of
the telecom firms were present. On Monday, the BBMP will enter into an
agreement with the telecom firms to disclose and regularise all the
unauthorised OFCs laid in the City.

Ramesh said the BBMP had
introduced e-filing system to apply for permission to lay cables. The
stipulated fee could be paid online. The request should come from the
chief executive officers of the firms, either in person or by e-mail.
The application should mention the total length of the road to be dug up
for laying cables. The OFC division of the Palike will prepare a bill
detailing the OFC laying charges, ground rent and road cutting charges.
The telecom firms will have to pay the amount online. “The system, if
implemented, will fetch Palike a minimum of Rs 500 crore,” Ramesh
claimed.