PCMC in process of framing SOPs for fibre operators; sets 30-day deadline for submission of documents

Pune: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has ordered all internet service providers (ISPs), optical fibre operators, and broadband companies to submit operational documents within 30 days. The move comes as the civic body prepares a formal standard operating procedure (SOP) to regulate overhead cable networks and transition towards a structured permitting system.

Civic officials said the operators who comply with the documentation process will be granted official permits. However, those who fail to meet the deadline will face strict enforcement action, including removal of their infrastructure.

The crackdown follows a heated discussion during a recent general body meeting where corporators raised alarms over the proliferation of dangling overhead wires. Members cited a tragic accident in Nigdi where a woman riding a two-wheeler died after becoming entangled in a low-hanging cable.

Officials from the PCMC’s electricity department revealed that, to date, no operator has obtained prior permission or formal approval for laying overhead cables.

“Currently, PCMC does not have a policy governing overhead cables. We are now framing SOPs based on a state govt resolution issued approximately three years ago,” a senior civic official told TOI.

Under the new requirements, operators must submit GST registration certificates, shop act licences, identity and address proofs, and comprehensive maps of their existing cable networks. Additionally, they must provide a sworn undertaking on stamp paper, pledging to follow PCMC’s safety norms and SOPs.

The civic body has clarified that future installations will be strictly controlled. Once the SOPs are in place, operators must secure permission from the licence department and will be required to use the optical fibre cable (OFC) network developed by Pimpri Chinchwad Smart City or utilise designated underground ducts.

“Cables belonging to operators who fail to submit the required documentation within the stipulated timeframe will be treated as illegal. The encroachment department will initiate action to remove them,” a PCMC official said. The civic body added that it would not be held responsible for any service disruptions to citizens caused by such enforcement actions, placing the accountability solely on the non-compliant operators.