The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will start a survey of 40 arterial roads to find out whether ducts to carry cables can be laid under the footpaths
The roads to be surveyed total 800km, said an official of the civic body. On Wednesday, the mayoral council of the KMC gave its nod to start the survey.
“The survey will find out whether there is adequate space under the footpaths to lay the ducts,” said a KMC official.
Kolkata has many underground utility lines but in most cases there are no maps showing their locations under the footpath.
Some of the arteries tobe surveyed are APC Road, AJC Bose Road, CIT Road, Suhrawardy Avenue, Bhupen Bose Avenue, JyotindraMohan Sengupta Sarani, SNBanerjee Road, Lenin Sarani, Ganesh Chandra Avenue, Rashbehari Avenue and Ballygunge Circular Road.
As part of the survey, trial trenches will be dug — many of them close to each other — on footpaths to ascertain the presence of utility lines that could pose an obstacle to the laying of the underground ducts.
The surveyors will also find out whether there is adequate space on the footpaths to dig inspection pits at regular intervals.
“This survey is part of a larger plan to take all overhead cables underground. We will start the survey in another 10 days and try to finish it within 45 days from the day of commencement,” said a senior KMC official.
“We will target a full route. For example, we will try to build the ducts on all roads leading to Tollygunge from Shyambazar. This way an entire route will be covered.”
The diameter of the duct will vary from one road to another and depend on the number of cables each has to accommodate.
“The laying of underground ducts after the survey will take time,” the official said. “Once the ducts are ready, the companies whose cables will be taken underground will have to pay the KMC a fee for using the ducts.
The KMC has already laid-ducts for cables under the footpaths along five roads —Harish Mukherjee Road, Belvedere Road, Hastings Park Road, Baker Road and Judges Court Road.
“Cables that used to hangover Harish Mukherjee Road have been taken underground. As for the other roads, the shift will start soon,” the official said.
KMC rules make it mandatory for optical fibres to be taken underground. The fibres can be aerial only in the last mile.
The Cellular Operators Association of India recently wrote to the Union telecom secretary alleging that “representatives” of local cable operators in Kolkata were not allowing them to put up cables to take fresh fibre optic connections to homes.
