Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 12 October 2022
Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) is laying Optical Fibre Cables from CANI Cable Landing Station at Campbell Bay to all three Gram Panchayats of Great Nicobar Island. One stretch of the cable will be laid till GP Laxmi Nagar, 24 km away from Campbell Bay on North-South Road or SH-02.
The State Highway-2 of Great Nicobar is in a pathetic state and the residents are currently facing a lot of problems in travelling between their villages and the Campbell Bay Headquarter area. After a long time, the estimates for the repair of SH-2 are finally getting sanctioned after a lot of effort from the political leaders.
To lay the Optical Fibre Cables for BBNL, huge trenches are being dug with excavators just adjacent to the SH-2. The trenches being dug are just a few centimetres away from the edge of the road at many places. Ideally, a Horizontal Drilling Machine should have been used to make way for the cables, but it seems that to cut its cost BBNL has decided to destroy the super expensive public roads of Great Nicobar.
The trenches being dug will result in the sliding of the roads in future as the soil adjacent to the road will be loosened.
The local authorities should intervene and stop the work which is being executed irresponsibly.
Development of the Telecom Sector in remote Islands like Great Nicobar is very important, but the authorities also need to ensure that public infrastructure like roads does not suffer extensive damage due to the irresponsible attitude of telcos.