Operator refuses to pay Rs 300 crore bill for shifting phone cables
A dispute has arisen between Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over the shifting of telephone cables from national highways.
The NHAI has asked BSNL to shift the cables from the highways, falling under the 10,000-km Golden Quadrilateral project, as soon as possible. However, BSNL is refusing to bear the cost of the exercise, which it has pegged at over Rs 300 crore.
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BSNL has now asked the department of telecommunications (DoT) to seek the intervention of the committee of secretaries to resolve the matter.
The state-owned telecommunications major wants the DoT to accord top priority to the issue so that it can be taken up at the highest level.
Though BSNL had already instructed its field units to shift the cables, official sources said it was done in the hope that the amount spent would be reimbursed after the dispute was resolved.
BSNL chairman Prithipal Singh, in a letter to Vinod Vaish, secretary, DoT, said,