PANAJI
The Electricity Department which had served an ultimatum to cable and internet service providers to either remove their cables hanging overhead on its poles or pay up the fees prescribed by the end of the current month has now permitted them a further two-month window to comply.
Executive Engineer, Kashinath Shetye told The Goan that a meeting was held with representatives of these service providers on Friday where they gave the assurance that all unused cables hanging on electricity poles will be removed.
"If they are clearing everything within two months, then we have no objection," Shetye, who in early January had cracked the whip and taken down the cables in one area of the EDC Patto Plazza business district, said.
After the action, the cable operators were given until January 31 to either remove their wires from the poles or pay the department the prescribed fees.
The rules require those using electricity poles to hang cables to pay the department Rs 300 per pole annually and they must also run the cables underground wherever ducts are made available.
The service had sought to get relief from the Bombay High Court at Goa which ruled that the Electricity Department was within its legal rights to remove the cables and refrained from interfering.
Meanwhile, Shetye said he will hold a meeting on February 3 and discuss the issue with officials of the Information Technology (IT) department, which is the nodal agency for these service providers.
