(a) whether a number of cases of theft of cables and other telecom equipment are increasing in some States;
(b) the total loss suffered on that account by the Telecom department during the last three years; and
(c) the details of the corrective steps taken by each Telecom Circle to prevent such thefts?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI TAPAN SIKDAR)
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b) The total loss suffered by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL) and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) on account of thefts of cables and other telecom equipment during the last three years was Rs. 6,28,81,532/-
(c) The following steps are being taken by the BSNL and MTNL to curb such thefts:
i) Proper accountability of stores;
ii) Adequate security for the store materials;
iii) Surprise checks by Vigilance Section;
iv) Computerization of Material Management Section;
v) Movement of stores only on issue of gate pass and entry to stores restricted to staff on duty only;
vi) Coordination with police authorities to check the thefts;
vii) Patrolling of major cable routes;
viii) Blocking of manholes;
ix) Reduction of length of underground cables by providing more number of remote subscriber units, etc.