Ranchi: Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) will begin removing unsafe and unauthorised optical fibre cables (OFC) from electricity poles across the city on Monday after its two-day deadline to five telecom operators ended on Sunday.Ranchi electricity supply area general manager Manmohan Kumar issued notices on Friday, asking the firms to coordinate with JBVNL officials, maintain minimum ground clearance, correct unsafe road crossings and remove heavy equipment or cables installed on weak structures.Failure to comply by Sunday will result in cables and equipment being dismantled at the expense of the companies. Legal action will also be initiated under JBVNL norms.“We have repeatedly issued notices, including a written communication in June, regarding safety risks, but received no response or cooperation. This is the final warning,” Kumar said.Officials said haphazardly installed cables posed risks to electrical infrastructure, motorists and pedestrians. Heavy accessories and thick multi-strand cables could also damage or destabilise electricity poles.In June, JBVNL asked operators to provide details of cable numbers and poles used, along with GPS mapping, but none complied. The drive will target cables crossing roads without adequate clearance, wires hanging below 12ft and installations that threaten pole stability.Some companies had permission to use specified poles, but they neither submitted utilisation reports nor tagged their cables, making identification difficult, officials said.The directive follows a Jharkhand high court hearing on a suo motu petition concerning public nuisance caused by cables strung across Ranchi’s roads and lanes. Kumar said even authorised cables would be removed from Monday if they were found to have been installed unsafely.
