The committee unearthed that the declaration was not bona fide and needed to be checked.
BBMP
BENGALURU: Accessing internet may not be possible in some parts of the city if the BBMP is serious about Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) fee evaders.
Disappointed with repeated reminders and poor response from OFC service providers to declare their network and to pay the prescribed fee, BBMP has decided to go on snapping drive from December 11.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, the Mayor B. N. Manjunath Reddy said OFC operators are evading the payment of road cutting charges and annual fee of the BBMP.
Despite repeated reminders for a comprehensive meeting with all the 18 operators, only eight to 10 companies turned up. With this, the meeting was unsuccessful.
“These companies have utilised BBMP’s prime properties like roads, drains and trees to lay their underground and overhead network without permission. In some area, these companies are making use of sewerage manholes leading to blockages. Some companies have not even paid road cutting charges,” he said.
During the previous council, a committee was formed to check on the authenticity of the declaration on the OFC network submitted by the companies.
The committee unearthed that the declaration was not bona fide and needed to be checked. Fixing charges for road cutting and annual fee for these 18 OFC operators fetches good revenue to the BBMP.
The money could be used for restoring roads. Last year, the BBMP earned Rs 358 crore. It has potential to earn at least Rs 1,000 crore annually by fixing a nominal annual fee, felt Mr. Reddy.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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