Lok Sabha Question No. 3105 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Theft of Telephone Cable
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Balwant Baswant Wankhade

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3105 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 TH  MARCH, 2025

## THEFT OF TELEPHONE CABLE

## †3105.  SHRI BALWANT BASWANT WANKHADE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  incidents  of  telephone-cable  theft  have  been  reported  from  various  parts  of  the Country;
- (b) if so, the State-wise details thereof during the last three years and the current year; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to curb the said incidents of cable theft along with the results thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

( a ) to ( c ) The telephone-cable theft incidences reported from various parts of the country by Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  &  Mahanagar  Telephone  Nigam  Limited  (MTNL)  are attached as Annexure -I .

BSNL & MTNL have taken following measures to curb the incidents of cable theft:

- i. Coordination with civic agencies involved in digging works.
- ii. Lodging of FIR.
- iii. Precautionary patrolling along the cable route.

As a result of above measures, the number of incidents of cable theft have been reduced.

Annexure-I

| BSNL &MTNLCable Theft (No. of Incidence)                                                                                                               | BSNL &MTNLCable Theft (No. of Incidence)                                                                                                               | BSNL &MTNLCable Theft (No. of Incidence)                                                                                                               | BSNL &MTNLCable Theft (No. of Incidence)                                                                                                               | BSNL &MTNLCable Theft (No. of Incidence)                                                                                                               | BSNL &MTNLCable Theft (No. of Incidence)                                                                                                               |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                                                                                | Name of the Circle                                                                                                                                     | (2021-22)                                                                                                                                              | (2022-23)                                                                                                                                              | (2023-24)                                                                                                                                              | (2024-25)                                                                                                                                              |
| 1                                                                                                                                                      | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                         | 1                                                                                                                                                      | 4                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 5                                                                                                                                                      |
| 2                                                                                                                                                      | Assam                                                                                                                                                  | 48                                                                                                                                                     | 51                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 3                                                                                                                                                      | Bihar                                                                                                                                                  | 6                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 4                                                                                                                                                      | Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                           | 3                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 5                                                                                                                                                      | Gujarat                                                                                                                                                | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 4                                                                                                                                                      | 1                                                                                                                                                      | 15                                                                                                                                                     |
| 6                                                                                                                                                      | Haryana                                                                                                                                                | 2                                                                                                                                                      | 13                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 7                                                                                                                                                      | Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                       | 142                                                                                                                                                    | 92                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 4                                                                                                                                                      |
| 8                                                                                                                                                      | Jammu &Kashmir                                                                                                                                         | 8                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 9                                                                                                                                                      | Kerala                                                                                                                                                 | 5                                                                                                                                                      | 25                                                                                                                                                     | 5                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 10                                                                                                                                                     | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                         | 12                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 11                                                                                                                                                     | Maharashtra                                                                                                                                            | 35                                                                                                                                                     | 34                                                                                                                                                     | 7                                                                                                                                                      | 7                                                                                                                                                      |
| 12                                                                                                                                                     | North-East-I (Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura)                                                                                                             | 12                                                                                                                                                     | 111                                                                                                                                                    | 10                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 13                                                                                                                                                     | Orissa                                                                                                                                                 | 15                                                                                                                                                     | 4                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 14                                                                                                                                                     | Punjab                                                                                                                                                 | 32                                                                                                                                                     | 5                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 15                                                                                                                                                     | Rajasthan                                                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 1                                                                                                                                                      | 1                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 16                                                                                                                                                     | Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                             | 1                                                                                                                                                      | 3                                                                                                                                                      | 3                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 17                                                                                                                                                     | Uttar Pradesh - West                                                                                                                                   | 2                                                                                                                                                      | 2                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 18                                                                                                                                                     | West Bengal                                                                                                                                            | 1                                                                                                                                                      | 5                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 19                                                                                                                                                     | Calcutta TD                                                                                                                                            | 38                                                                                                                                                     | 19                                                                                                                                                     | 5                                                                                                                                                      | 10                                                                                                                                                     |
| 20                                                                                                                                                     | Chennai TD                                                                                                                                             | 2                                                                                                                                                      | 9                                                                                                                                                      | 3                                                                                                                                                      | 3                                                                                                                                                      |
| 21                                                                                                                                                     | Telangana                                                                                                                                              | 5                                                                                                                                                      | 2                                                                                                                                                      | 2                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                      |
| 22                                                                                                                                                     | Delhi                                                                                                                                                  | 291                                                                                                                                                    | 191                                                                                                                                                    | 122                                                                                                                                                    | 53                                                                                                                                                     |
| 23                                                                                                                                                     | Mumbai                                                                                                                                                 | 17                                                                                                                                                     | 42                                                                                                                                                     | 41                                                                                                                                                     | 41                                                                                                                                                     |
| Grand Total                                                                                                                                            | Grand Total                                                                                                                                            | 678                                                                                                                                                    | 617                                                                                                                                                    | 200                                                                                                                                                    | 138                                                                                                                                                    |
| Andaman &Nicobar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, North East-II, Sikkim, Uttaranchal &Uttar Pradesh (East) circles have no incident reported in the above period | Andaman &Nicobar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, North East-II, Sikkim, Uttaranchal &Uttar Pradesh (East) circles have no incident reported in the above period | Andaman &Nicobar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, North East-II, Sikkim, Uttaranchal &Uttar Pradesh (East) circles have no incident reported in the above period | Andaman &Nicobar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, North East-II, Sikkim, Uttaranchal &Uttar Pradesh (East) circles have no incident reported in the above period | Andaman &Nicobar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, North East-II, Sikkim, Uttaranchal &Uttar Pradesh (East) circles have no incident reported in the above period | Andaman &Nicobar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, North East-II, Sikkim, Uttaranchal &Uttar Pradesh (East) circles have no incident reported in the above period |

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