With the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) going ahead with its plan to shift overhead wires underground, small-time cable operators have complained that it is difficult for them to bear the considerable investment involved in laying the cables below ground through ducts.
Apurba Bhattacharjee, secretary, Cable Operator Sangram Committee, said that the festive season is over and ground work for laying cable ducts underground has commenced in full swing. “The entire project of laying underground cables through duct will involve a considerable investment which will be difficult for small cable operators like us to bear,” Bhattacharjee said.
A KMC official said that the civic body would construct the primary duct below pavements along these roads. The multi-service operators (MSOs) of cable firms and internet service providers (ISPs) would have to create access points and sub-ducts to transfer cables to homes
KMC has identified 40 busy roads, covering 146.22 km, which will have underground cable connection through cable ducts. The cable operators are pulling down the dead overhead wires so that the live wires to be put underground can be singled out
“We made good progress in our pilot project involving underground cable connection through ducts in five roads namely Baker Road (Alipore), Chetla Road, Alipore Road, Harish Mukherjee Road (a major part) and Harish Chatterjee Street. The jungle of wire dangling from light posts were removed and cable ducts were used for underground connection. We have identified 40 roads where the same will be done gradually. The cable operators were informed and they have started ground work,” Sandip Ranjan Bakshi, Member-Mayor-in-Council (Lighting & Electricity) said.
The list of 40 roads includes CIT Road, APC Road, AJC Bose Road, SN Banerjee Road, Lenin Sarani, Ballygunge Circular Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Raja SC Mullick Road, Prince Anwar Shah Road to name a few. KMC has stopped giving permission for any new application for overhead cables for these 40 stretches.