SOLAN: An alarming rise in cable theft cases in this area has put BSNL in fix. The cable theft was not only a biggest hindrance for undisrupted service but also depriving BSNL its precious cable stock severely.
As per information collected by this correspondent over half of dozen telecom subdivisions in area were facing problem due to high rise in theft cases. The theft problem was more severe in remote forest area where thieves struck at their own will. A large number of migrant labourers in area could be behind the thefts as cable earned good earnings. However, BSNL officers could not rule out the possibility of involvement of locals also.
The high rise in theft cases has virtually crippled the services of BSNL in certain areas causing a major commercial setback to department. Earlier the cable theft was restricted only to remote areas but now the cases have started to report from thickly populated residential areas.
All efforts of BSNL to seek help from police have proven futile as police was still clueless to counter the menace for want of planned strategy. Fed up from this the BSNL officials now did not hesitate to put blame on police for all mess up.
On the hand the police feel that it was an impossible task to curb the practice without BSNL support. On many occasions the BSNL has requested to put up joint nakas to catch the culprits but of no avail, claimed police. For already understaffed police force it was an uphill task to conduct night patrolling in affected area.
Inquires showed that cables were not installed properly by BSNL itself. The cable could be seen hanging loose on trees.
The cable could not be laid underground in rural areas due to cost factor, pointed out a senior BSNL official. In scattered hamlets the BSNL had to use aerial route to install cable, he maintained. It was duty of police to check anti social elements, he asserted.
