Panaji: Internet service providers in the state, who are affected due to cutting of their cables hanging on electricity poles, have now been given a notice period of 10 days to register with the electricity department for using electricity poles or face permanent removal of the wires.
“The illegal cables, OFC and other illegal infrastructure on electricity poles are without valid permissions, without any survey and without obtaining stability certificate from the Authority and without following any safety measures,” states the notice issued by the department.
As per the order of the High Court of Bombay in Goa, dated January 22, the service providers were supposed to make applications to electricity department under the Telecommunication (Right of way) Rules 2024. However, the Authority for Land Acquisition and Property Management of the Electricity Dept has not received any application in this regards, says the notice.
The state has 3,20,000 electricity poles for which service providers will have to apply for use under the Right of the Way rules, said the department executive engineer. Service providers will have to shell out a fee of Rs 300 annually per pole to the electricity department.
None of the service providers so far have taken NOC to use electricity poles and nor have they removed the excess cables hanging on the poles as promised, said the executive engineer. The department is also mulling colour coded cables for easy identification.
Internet and broadband service providers and cable TV operators were caught unaware on January 11, when the electricity department started cutting cables hanging on electricity poles in Patto area, Panaji. Subsequently, the department cut hanging cables in Margao and Mapusa city. The cutting stopped as service providers moved the court.
Service providers have been asked to register with the department of IT as well as seek permission from the electricity department for using poles.
