16 lakh MTNL landline phones rendered non-functional due to Mumbai metro work

In Mumbai, MTNL, which once had 18,000 employees and operated across 14 zones, now has only five zones remaining. This has led to concerns that valuable MTNL assets in Mumbai, worth crores of rupees, may be transferred to private entities, resulting in around 15 to 16 lakh customers shifting to private telephone companies.

Notably, MTNL has a substantial investment in landline infrastructure, amounting to approximately Rs 9 lakh. Unfortunately, this infrastructure has been adversely affected by the ongoing excavation activities related to the metro and road construction. The constant digging has resulted in cable damage and the consequent shutdown of landline services. In response to this issue, the civic body and the metro have taken responsibility for approximately 400 cables that remain intact. The civic body has also assumed the task of concretizing several kilometers of roads.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is actively engaged in the construction of the underground Metro 3, connecting South Mumbai to the western suburbs. During the course of this work, numerous customers in areas like Mahalaxmi, Worli, Dadar in South Central Mumbai, Bandra, Andheri in the western suburbs, and Kurla and Kanjurmarg in the eastern suburbs have reported disruptions in their telephone services. MTNL, however, has stated its inability to repair these cables due to the extensive excavation and construction activities.

MTNL has only 1,200 employees operating due to VRS and retirement. Contractual employees do not have adequate knowledge of work. There is no one to keep an eye on them, there is no solution to the complaints in the case, the officials of MTNL, which once had the wealth and wealth to smoke gold, have become so desperate that they are desperate. I don't know if it's a policy to hand everyone over to the private sector. However, we are not allowed to hire new staff. The system is not allowed to be renewed. "We've been made to curse people," said several officials.

Several steps have been taken:

Transition to Fiber Optic Cables: To mitigate the issue, a switch to using fiber optic cables has been initiated. This transition is primarily due to the cost-effectiveness of fiber cables.

Theft Prevention Measures: To address the theft of copper wires, measures have been put in place. These include the deployment of patrol teams at excavation sites to deter the theft of copper wires.

Strategic Installation in Above-Ground Locations: In cases where it's feasible, wires are now being installed above ground, such as on poles with trees, instead of burying them underground. This approach minimizes the vulnerability of the wires to theft.

Challenges Faced:

When cables break during work, they often go unreported to the municipal corporation and the metro (MTN). When there's a complaint about a landline shutdown, it becomes difficult to identify the specific broken cable. Cable repairs are typically carried out based on the complaint number provided to the pointman. However, due to extensive digging and the number of cables in the vicinity, pinpointing the exact faulty cable can be time-consuming.