(a) whether the Government proposes to lay underground cable in all over the country including
Orissa;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) the total expenditure likely to be incurred in this regard during the current financial
year;
(d) whether the Government has laid down any parameter regarding awarding the contracts for
the said work; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI GURUDAS KAMAT)
(a) to (c) Yes, Sir. BSNL has proposed to lay underground cable as per requirement and will be
covering 52.97 Lakh kms. Approximately. The State-wise details are given in the Annexure. BSNL
plans to spend approximately Rs.496 crores in this financial year.
MTNL plans to spend Rs.49 crores and Ra.25 crores in Delhi and Mumbai respectively for laying and
rehabilitation work of underground cable in 2009-2010.
(d) & (e) The contract for laying is awarded on the basis of lowest price quoted by bidder after
calling the bids through open tender. The material is procured separately from the suppliers
meeting specifications and on the basis of lowest price after calling open tenders.