RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Nov.19: Cables hanging from electric poles will soon be paving the path for earning Rs 10 crore per annum earning by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation.
An RMC insider said in order to ensure the same the civic body has started serving notices to cable operators asking them to remove cables if they have hung them with an electric pole without permission. A deadline of 72 hours has been given for the same.
It is, the insider said, a follow-up action of the three notices served to cable operators till September this year asking them whether they had taken permission of RMC to use the poles. Now after a lapse of almost one and a half months, the civic body decided to remove the cable hanged without permission.
The move is in pursuance of section 126 of the Jharkhand Municipal Act 2011 where there is a provision about the vesting of property. “The electric poles come under JVBNL but the land on which poles are standing comes under the jurisdiction of RMC,” the insider said.
Deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya confirmed the plan, saying a decision in this matter was taken in the RMC board meeting two years ago.
“Decision in this matter was made two years ago. It was decided that Rs 1500 per pole will be charged annually for hanging the cable. Due to corona RMC could not implement the same. Now it is being implemented,” deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya said.
A cable operator aggrieved by the development said it was the result of the connivance of a big company with the civic authority. “Direction to obtain permission by paying the fee is being done under the guidance of corporate houses who want to deprive poor cable operators of their source of earning for their vested interest. Civic authorities are hands in gloves with corporate houses,” the operator said.
‘There are 80 cable operators in the city. All will get badly affected from this order. The step will make cable service costly and finally, the common consumers will get affected,” the cable operator said.
