The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued a public notice asking telecom service providers (TSPs) and Internet service providers to declare unauthorised OFC cables laid in the city after which the same will be regularised.
According to the latest data available with the BBMP, 31 companies had taken permission to lay 12,463 km of ducts, but on the ground the companies have laid 97,000 km of ducts. This means 84,537 km of ducts are illegal. For one km of ducts, TSPs have to pay about ₹850 and non-telecom companies have to pay ₹450 as ground rent.
Several attempts to regulate OFC laying in the city, mobilise revenues, and also protect roads, which are usually indiscriminately dug up by these companies, have failed.