Chennai: Area officials of BSNL are spending sleepless nights and are finding it difficult to protect the properties of Chennai Telephones from miscreants and insiders. Optical fibre cables, copper cables, telephone spares, loop cables, iron scrap and at times stationery are periodically being looted by miscreants in connivance with BSNL insiders and the situation has been haunting the local BSNL babus. “Complaints to local police have fallen on deaf ears and at least half a dozen complaints mostly related to cable theft has not seen any arrest or action”, said a BSNL official. And on Saturday, a few BSNL staff along with Minjur police were waiting near the local BSNL customer care centre to nab the thieves red handed. Though the thieves managed to lift two sacks of telephone spares. They decided not to enter the site for the third time, thwarting the effort of local police and BSNL staff. The BSNL had lodged a complaint in this regard to the Minjur police station. “We have registered a case and are on the lookout forthieves”, local police said.
“It is basically a bad phase for telecom industry due to recession and we are trying our best to improve the network, but the cable thefts are haunting BSNL. In fact a recent complaint on cable theft on Erukanchery High road with Madhavaram milk colony had not seen any progress till date. Despite providing vital clues and supporting photographs, there is no action. It is high time that all the local police help BSNL. Whenever the corporation widens city roads BSNL cables are looted in daylight”, admitted Ms G. Vijaya, spokesperson, BSNL.
“This is something common and there have been several similar cases of theft. Some related to copper cables which cost several lakhs”, said Mr V. Sathiabalan, a former telecom advisory member.
