Whitefield Rising, a citizens’ collective from the Whitefield area that houses the city’s tech corridor has lodged a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) seeking a FIR against the CEOs of all major Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for laying illegal Optic Fibre Cables (OFCs) in the area.
A copy of the complaint available with The Hindu said: “ While there are set guidelines and specific contracts on how cable companies have to provide connectivity, they are never followed by the companies or the sub-contractors in charge of the actual work on ground…It is crucial to scrutinise the responsibility of the companies and their respective leaders operating in the Whitefield area”.
“It is imperative to evaluate whether these organisations have fulfilled their responsibilities in ensuring the safety and well-being of the community during the deployment and maintenance of their respective broadband networks. Of importance to be noted is that these companies while reaping profits from such networks do not take responsibility as they subcontract their work to small-time contractors. Large Telecom Operators cannot function in this manner, They are squarely responsible for the actions of their sub-contractors,” it further said.
The complaint comes in the wake of a long struggle to rid the area of illegal OFCs that have posed a public safety hazard as most of the roads are dug up, leaving uneven surfaces on the road and OFCs on trees leading to even the death of a commuter in the area in 2022, Whitefield Rising said.
A senior police official said that they were examining the complaint and mulling the next course of action, but refused to say whether they would file a FIR against the CEOs of leading TSPs.
