Smart City's optical fibre network declared ‘essential public service'
Nagpur: To curb the growing disruptions in the city's CCTV surveillance network, Nagpur Municipal Corporation administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari has directed all development agencies to treat the
Smart City
's optical fibre network as an 'essential public service'.
He emphasised that prior intimation and clearance must be sought before undertaking any excavation work that could potentially damage the network.
The directive was issued during a workshop organised by Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) on Friday. The meeting, held at Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Hall, aimed to address the recurring issues of fibre cable damage caused during civic and infrastructure development works by multiple govt agencies.
Chaudhari stated that over 3,600 CCTV cameras were installed at around 700 junctions under the 'Nagpur Safe and Smart City' project, and the fibre network supporting them is critical for maintaining law and order, especially during the monsoon. However, careless digging has led to frequent disruptions.
To prevent this, the NSSCDCL drafted a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which mandates that any agency planning excavation must first seek clearance from Smart City.
A Smart City officer will then inspect the site and ensure that fibre cables remain unharmed.
Speaking to TOI, a senior official familiar with the SOP explained, "Agencies have been blindly digging, damaging our cables. Now, before any excavation, they must approach Smart City. Our officer will supervise the location to prevent damage."
The commissioner also highlighted that some departments have yet to submit their security deposits to restore the damaged fibre lines.
A dedicated agency has been appointed to handle restoration work on behalf of Smart City, and all excavation must now be done only after consulting this team.
Key officials from MSEDCL, BSNL, MahaMetro, zilla parishad, and MSRDC were present at the workshop. A senior Smart City official also shared technical insights, noting that damaged cameras affect both NMC and Nagpur police operations. The SOP will now be uniformly applicable to all city-level development works.
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Indian Express
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Punjab Police drafts SOP on handling cases pertaining to Armymen, state to notify soon
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Under the SOP, serving defence personnel cannot be arrested without permission from the central government unless they are involved in serious crimes such as rape, murder, or kidnapping, which are unrelated to their official duties. For all other offenses, the police must obtain prior permission. In the case of an arrest for a crime unrelated to their duty, the police must inform the nearest military station headquarters and provide details of the offense, arrest date, and place of detention. The Chandigarh Police SOP states that serving defence personnel cannot be arrested without permission from the Centre unless they are involved in serious crimes such as rape, murder, or kidnapping, which are unrelated to their official duties. In the case of an arrest for a crime unrelated to their duty, the police must inform the nearest military station headquarters and provide details of the offense, arrest date, and place of detention. 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Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Smart City's optical fibre network declared ‘essential public service'
Nagpur: To curb the growing disruptions in the city's CCTV surveillance network, Nagpur Municipal Corporation administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari has directed all development agencies to treat the Smart City 's optical fibre network as an 'essential public service'. He emphasised that prior intimation and clearance must be sought before undertaking any excavation work that could potentially damage the network. The directive was issued during a workshop organised by Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) on Friday. The meeting, held at Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Hall, aimed to address the recurring issues of fibre cable damage caused during civic and infrastructure development works by multiple govt agencies. Chaudhari stated that over 3,600 CCTV cameras were installed at around 700 junctions under the 'Nagpur Safe and Smart City' project, and the fibre network supporting them is critical for maintaining law and order, especially during the monsoon. However, careless digging has led to frequent disruptions. To prevent this, the NSSCDCL drafted a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which mandates that any agency planning excavation must first seek clearance from Smart City. A Smart City officer will then inspect the site and ensure that fibre cables remain unharmed. Speaking to TOI, a senior official familiar with the SOP explained, "Agencies have been blindly digging, damaging our cables. Now, before any excavation, they must approach Smart City. Our officer will supervise the location to prevent damage." The commissioner also highlighted that some departments have yet to submit their security deposits to restore the damaged fibre lines. A dedicated agency has been appointed to handle restoration work on behalf of Smart City, and all excavation must now be done only after consulting this team. Key officials from MSEDCL, BSNL, MahaMetro, zilla parishad, and MSRDC were present at the workshop. A senior Smart City official also shared technical insights, noting that damaged cameras affect both NMC and Nagpur police operations. The SOP will now be uniformly applicable to all city-level development works.
Time of India
12 hours ago
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