The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued a directive requiring all internet service providers (ISPs), optical fibre operators, and broadband companies to submit their operational documents within 30 days. This initiative is part of the civic body's efforts to establish a formal standard operating procedure (SOP) for regulating overhead cable networks and transitioning to a structured permitting system.
Compliance and Enforcement
Civic officials have stated that operators who comply with the documentation process will be granted official permits. Conversely, those who fail to meet the deadline will face strict enforcement actions, including the removal of their infrastructure. The crackdown follows a heated discussion during a recent general body meeting where corporators raised alarms over the proliferation of dangling overhead wires. Members cited a tragic accident in Nigdi where a woman riding a two-wheeler died after becoming entangled in a low-hanging cable.
Current Regulatory Gaps
Officials from the PCMC's electricity department revealed that, to date, no operator has obtained prior permission or formal approval for laying overhead cables. Currently, PCMC does not have a policy governing overhead cables. We are now framing SOPs based on a state government resolution issued approximately three years ago, a senior civic official said.
New Documentation Requirements
Under the new requirements, operators must submit the following documents:
- GST registration certificates
- Shop act licences
- Identity and address proofs
- Comprehensive maps of their existing cable networks
- A sworn undertaking on stamp paper, pledging to follow PCMC's safety norms and SOPs
Future Installation Controls
The civic body has clarified that future installations will be strictly controlled. Once the SOPs are in place, operators must secure permission from the licence department and will be required to use the optical fibre cable (OFC) network developed by Pimpri Chinchwad Smart City or utilise designated underground ducts. Cables belonging to operators who fail to submit the required documentation within the stipulated timeframe will be treated as illegal. The encroachment department will initiate action to remove them, a PCMC official said. The civic body added that it would not be held responsible for any service disruptions to citizens caused by such enforcement actions, placing the accountability solely on the non-compliant operators.
