• Optical Fibre Cable laying work makes clean city roads treacherous to commute
• Yadavagiri Corporator holds Mayor, Commissioner responsible to restore damaged roads

Mysuru: The Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) laying work across the city has left the roads in a bad shape with mounds of soil, sand and stones by the side, waiting for two-wheelers to trip and fall or four-wheelers to collide with an oncoming vehicle trying to avoid the dangerous mess.  

Agencies attached to Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), a private telecom company, are using Horizontal Directional Drilling Method to lay cables where one to two foot square pits are dug. In all, 174.63 kilometres are being dug within the city limits to lay the cables.  The company has paid over Rs. 17 crore to the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) as digging fees. 

MCC conditions

As per the work order issued by the MCC, after digging, the roads must be re-laid and brought back to its  original shape using jelly stones and asphalt. 

Also, any damage caused to the water or underground drainage pipes while laying the underground cables must be compensated by the digging agency itself. 

The MCC has mentioned that the cable laying company is liable to pay Rs. 688 per metre with an additional cost of Rs. 200 if the roads are not brought back to the original shape and if there is a loss of public property.  

Conditions violated

Despite such stringent conditions, the agencies are leaving mounds of stones and soil beside the roads. 

The newly-laid Yadavagiri Road is a classic example where pits are dug from the Vontikoppal Circle up to Ideal Jawa Road. These pits have been closed in a haphazard manner. 

This manner in which the roads are closed is dangerous when vehicles zip past, especially during peak hours when people are in a hurry to reach their destinations.  

Corporator demands road restoration

Reacting on the mess caused by cable digging, Yadavagiri Corporator Guru Vinayak said that it is the responsibility of MCC Commissioner and the Mayor to ensure that the roads are brought back into its original shape. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Guru Vinayak said that permission to the telecom company was accorded at a Council meeting on 28.8.2019. “There is a strict instruction that a senior officer from the telecom company must supervise the works and must ensure that any road that is dug must be restored to its original shape. Despite this, the digging agencies are not following the conditions. They have made a mess of a newly-laid Yadavagiri Road that was beautified with interlocking tiles only two weeks back,” he said. 

Commissioner, Mayor responsible

“Seeing the mess, I asked for the MCC road digging permission copy from the agencies but till now, no engineer or official has produced the same. It is the responsibility of MCC Commissioner and Mayor to bring back the road to its original shape. Let them release funds and get the roads restored,” he said and added that he will take up the matter with the MCC top brass. 

Meanwhile, the road digging agencies have started filling the pits with asphalt and jelly stones at Ramakrishnanagar and a few other roads. 

“The agencies must ensure that roads are re-laid soon after the cables are laid. “Leaving the roads with soil mounds on the sides is an invitation to accidents. The agencies must ensure quick works for public safety,” said Ramakrishna, a resident of Yadavagiri.