Oct. 21: Hundreds of telephones broke down after underground cables got damaged when labourers, engaged by the PWD, started digging a drain along the Ulubari flyover.
When the PWD began construction last week, the safety of the underground BSNL cables had not been taken into account.
Sources said the new drain is being constructed from Ulubari Chariali to the ASTC workshop.
Business establishments, reeling since the construction of the flyover started two years ago, were the worst hit. Said a shopkeeper, “My phone line went dead on the first day of operations and it is unlikely that it will be repaired. But that will not stop BSNL from charging rent.”
A few of the affected have written to BSNL to take precautionary measures to save the cables from damage and also restore dead phones.
An official of a leading private company with its office in the Godrej Building was very critical: “This is really frustrating. Telephones going out of order means loss of business. We can neither talk, nor fax, or e-mail our clients and offices. A little bit of attention could have saved us a lot of inconvenience.”
Rajeev Baruah, whose relative was admitted to the Dibrugarh Medical College, said the disconnection has put him in a spot. “I have to call up from public call offices. It has become a one-way process now,” he rued.
A BSNL source said they have initiated action to ensure that nobody is inconvenienced. “We are not sitting idle. Our people were, are and will visit the affected site. Our subdivisional officer is looking into the matter and everything will be in order by Thursday,” he said.
It is not only dead telephone lines that have annoyed residents. It is the slow pace of work, whether it is the drain or the flyover. The PWD has been constructing drains on Ashram Road in Ulubari from before the Pujas and there have been complaints of telephone lines breaking down as a result of digging.
“It is nothing new. We have been greatly inconvenienced. Everything is running behind schedule. They act only after complaints. Why can’t they take action beforehand?” a citizen asked.
