Lok Sabha Question No. 307 (STARRED), answered on 2016-12-07
Subject: Optical Fiber Network by Telecom PSUs
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: UDIT RAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.307 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH   DECEMER, 2016

## OPTICAL FIBER NETWORK BY TELECOM PSUs

*307. DR. UDIT RAJ:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  cases  of  damages  to  Optical  Fibre  Cable  (OFC)  network  laid  by BSNL and MTNL due to digging of the cable route by various Government agencies have been reported;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise including Delhi;
- (c) whether the Government has received any representation for speedy repair of the network in Delhi; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by MTNL to restore the damages caused to OFC network?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) to (  d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Contd…2/-

STATEMENT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE LOK SABHA IN RESPECT OF PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK    SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.307    FOR  7 TH DECEMBER,  2016  REGARDING  'OPTICAL  FIBER  NETWORK  BY  TELECOM PSUs'.

(a) Optical  Fibre  Cables  (OFC)  of  Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) are damaged during digging by various Government  agencies  like Public  Work  Department  (PWD),  National  Highway Authority  of  India  (NHAI),  Municipal  bodies,  Panchayat,  Water  works  Department, State Electricity Boards and Irrigation Department etc.

(b) State/Circle wise details of OFC damaged by various government agencies is at Annexure-I.

(c) & (d) A representation from Shri Udit Raj, Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) was received in MTNL.  After restoring the damaged OFC cables, a reply was sent to the Hon'ble M.P. (copy of correspondence is at Annexure-II and III).

Contd…3/-

## Annexure-I

| OFC damage cases due to digging of cable route by various Government Agencies (2016-17)   | OFC damage cases due to digging of cable route by various Government Agencies (2016-17)   | OFC damage cases due to digging of cable route by various Government Agencies (2016-17)   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S.No.                                                                                     | Name of the Circle / Maintenance Region                                                   | No. of times OFC damaged by Govt. Agencies                                                |
| 1                                                                                         | Andaman & Nicobar                                                                         | 0                                                                                         |
| 2                                                                                         | Andhra Pradesh                                                                            | 77                                                                                        |
| 3                                                                                         | Assam                                                                                     | 312                                                                                       |
| 4                                                                                         | Bihar                                                                                     | 6                                                                                         |
| 5                                                                                         | Calcutta Telecom District                                                                 | 5                                                                                         |
| 6                                                                                         | Chattisgarh                                                                               | 4                                                                                         |
| 7                                                                                         | Chennai Telecom District                                                                  | 525                                                                                       |
| 8                                                                                         | Gujarat                                                                                   | 1192                                                                                      |
| 9                                                                                         | Haryana                                                                                   | 15                                                                                        |
| 10                                                                                        | Himachal Pradesh                                                                          | 15                                                                                        |
| 11                                                                                        | Jammu & Kashmir                                                                           | 127                                                                                       |
| 12                                                                                        | Jharkhand                                                                                 | 215                                                                                       |
| 13                                                                                        | Karnataka                                                                                 | 762                                                                                       |
| 14                                                                                        | Kerala                                                                                    | 84                                                                                        |
| 15                                                                                        | Madhaya Pradesh                                                                           | 2228                                                                                      |
| 16                                                                                        | Maharastra                                                                                | 203                                                                                       |
| 17                                                                                        | Meghalaya                                                                                 | 6                                                                                         |
| 18                                                                                        | Mizoram                                                                                   | 17                                                                                        |
| 19                                                                                        | Tripura                                                                                   | 26                                                                                        |
| 20 21                                                                                     | Arunachal Manipur                                                                         | 10 9                                                                                      |
| 22                                                                                        | Nagaland                                                                                  | 0                                                                                         |
| 23                                                                                        | Odisha                                                                                    | 3504                                                                                      |
|                                                                                           | Punjab                                                                                    | 73                                                                                        |
| 24 25                                                                                     | Rajasthan                                                                                 | 247                                                                                       |
| 26                                                                                        | Tamil Nadu                                                                                | 1200                                                                                      |
| 27                                                                                        | Telangana                                                                                 | 198                                                                                       |
| 28                                                                                        | Uttar Pradesh (East)                                                                      | 3203                                                                                      |
| 29                                                                                        | Uttar Pradesh (West)                                                                      | 136                                                                                       |
| 30                                                                                        | Uttarakhand                                                                               | 349                                                                                       |
| 31                                                                                        | West Bengal                                                                               | 883                                                                                       |
| 32                                                                                        | Sikkim                                                                                    | 182                                                                                       |
| 33                                                                                        | Eastern Telecom Region (Long Distance OFC Network)                                        | 4798                                                                                      |
| 34                                                                                        | Northern Telecom Region (Long Distance OFC Network)                                       | 4376                                                                                      |
| 35                                                                                        | Southern Telecom Region (Long Distance OFC Network)                                       | 3504                                                                                      |
| 36                                                                                        | Western Telecom Region (Long Distance OFC Network)                                        | 2959                                                                                      |
|                                                                                           | TOTAL                                                                                     | 31450                                                                                     |
| B. MTNL                                                                                   | B. MTNL                                                                                   | B. MTNL                                                                                   |
| 1                                                                                         | Delhi                                                                                     | 736*                                                                                      |
| 2                                                                                         | Mumbai                                                                                    | 194                                                                                       |
| 2                                                                                         | TOTAL                                                                                     | 930                                                                                       |
| 2                                                                                         | * In Delhi, no separate category is maintained for OFC damage by Govt. agencies.          | * In Delhi, no separate category is maintained for OFC damage by Govt. agencies.          |

Ref:  D.O. No. UR/MP/2016/998

My dear Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad Ji,

I am writing this in reference to the enclosed complaint from Shri Krishan Kumar Arya, resident of 333 Ishwar Colony, Bawana, Delhi 39 in my Constituency regarding the malfunctioning of BSNL/MTNL Internet /broadband services in Bawana, Delhi as well  as  some  suggestions  he  has  provided  for  the  improvement  of  services.    This malfunctioning and damage to the optic fiber optic cable network in Outer and North West Delhi districts has been a very common complaint; I have also tried to raise this issue  in  Parliament  as  residents  of  my  Constituency  are  faced  to  undergo  severe hardships as a result of malfunctioning of their telephone connections.  I request that you direct concerned officials to improve the infrastructure and ensure proper service by BSNL/MTNL in my Constituency.

Thanking you,

Encl: as above.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon'ble Minister of Communications and Information Technology Sanchar Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110001.

## Annexure-II

Udit Raj (Ex. I.R.S.)                                                                     Member of Parliament

NORTH WEST DELHI

Lok Sabha

Date: 21.03.2016

Yours sincerely

Sd/-

(Dr. Udit Raj)

Contd….5/-

## Annexure-III

| RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD   | MINISTER COMMUNICATIONS &IT GOVERNMENT OF INDIA   |
|-----------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
|                       | D.O. No. SM(MC)MOC &IT/VVIP/8532                  |
|                       | 25 th June, 2016                                  |

Kindly refer to your letter No. UR/MP/2016/998 dated 21.3.2016 regarding malfunctioning of BSNL/MTNL Internet services in Bawana, Delhi.

I  have  had  the  matter  examined.    In  this  regard,  it  is  intimated  that  earlier malfunctioning  of  MTNL  Internet  services  in  Bawana,  Delhi  was  due  to  general damage of Optical  Fibre Cables in outer and North West Delhi by different agencies like  DDA, PWD, MCD, DJB, NDPL etc. for development work.  MTNL is working in close  coordination  with  these  agencies,  wherever  the  development  work  is  under taken  by  these  agencies  to  protect  Optical  Fibre  Cables  and  even  if  cables  were damaged by agencies,  the  same  is  immediately  restored  to  normalize  the  telecom services.  There was no major interruption reported in Bawana area  for the last three months.  Now, Landline and Broadband on telephone number 27752693 is working satisfactorily  as  seen  from  Broadband  usages  and  fault  from  march,  2016  to  May, 2016.

| With regards,                                                                                     | Yours sincerely,      |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
|                                                                                                   | Sd/                   |
|                                                                                                   | (RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD) |
| Dr. Udit Raj, Member of Parliament(LS), T-22, Atul Grove Road, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001. |                       |

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