The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : “Make sure ducting of cables does not damage water lines”

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

“Make sure ducting of cables does not damage water lines”

Kannal Achuthan

Chennai: Residents have urged the Chennai Corporation to network with Chennai Metrowater and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) to prevent any damage to electricity and water supply lines when underground cables are laid.

The civic body is the authority that sanctions road cuts when internet and cable television service providers want to dig up roads. This sometimes results in power or water lines getting damaged. Last month, a water line was damaged in Kasturba Nagar, Adyar, and several thousand litres of water wasted. Earlier this month, power supply lines were damaged in a locality in Vadapalani when a telecom service provider took up road digging. Residents also said re-laying of roads, after the work was completed, often got delayed.

S. Dinakaran, a resident of Triplicane, said people had to suffer inordinate delays when roads not repaired after the road cuts. Construction materials such as sand and stones are dumped on the roadside for several weeks.

The Chennai Corporation is also working with the Chennai Cable Consortium in order to lay a common underground duct along several main roads. This would do away with the need for frequent road cuts.

“The consortium is taking extra care to ensure that the service lines are not damaged,” said Radhakrishna Vittaldev, secretary of the consortium. TNEB employees are requested to be present at the site when the road digging is taken up so that the power supply lines are not damaged.

Mr. Vittaldev said that the road digging was taken up at night and there was a chance that the power service lines may not be clearly visible. Permission to work during a few hours in the early part of the day would be of help, he said.

The consortium was formed after the Corporation brought together internet and cable TV service providers with the proposal of a common underground duct. At present, 13 service providers, including Skylink, BSNL, VSNL, Tata, Reliance, Airtel, Aircel, Vodafone, Powergrid, Hathway and Sumangali Cable Vision, are members of the consortium.

The underground duct has already been laid on Nungambakkam High Road and the overhead cables have been removed. This is the first road in Chennai to have the common duct system. Mr. Vittaldev said that ducting work in Anna Nagar Second and Third Avenues was also completed and all overhead cables would be removed.

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