Pune: The illegal overhead cables have become a menace for the Pune Municipal Corporation across the city, but only two FIRs were filed since Jan 2025.According to PMC officials, even after enforcement measures, such as cutting the cables, disposal of these wires remained a major challenge for the administration. Consequently, seized cables have often been dumped at various civic offices. “The administration has no option, but to file offences against unknown persons, as no one ever came forward to claim ownership. Cutting these cables has been merely a temporary solution, as they would be reinstalled within a couple of days,” said a senior PMC official.“The PMC planned to come up with a standard operating process for the overhead cable issue as well. All the key stakeholders would be involved in it. The future course of action would be decided based on such a SOP,” PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram told TOI.A survey found nearly 7,500 km-long cables crisscrossing across the PMC limit, which is against the civic body’s policy. The private cellular and internet service provider companies were asked to shift all these overhead cables into the ducts under the streets. However, not even 10% of these cables were shifted underground in the last 2 years.According to PMC officials, the TV companies, cellphone firms and internet service providers put in the cables. The PMC had approached them and asked them to shift these cables. As per the operators, they have not been keen on such expensive conversion. The administration is charging around Rs 12,000 per running metre for digging and restoration.Sanjay Shitole, member of a citizens’ group Pune City Eye, said the administration should first review previous policies drafted for the same purpose. “Connectivity has become the need of the hour, so there was no option but to lay such cables. But the administration should come up with solutions like ducts or better planning of the cables,”he said.The civic data showed that, on average, nearly 200-km of roads have been dug up every year for providing various services. Along with private companies, govt or semi-govt agencies like the electricity department and piped gas suppliers need the road digging for utility services.
