CUTTACK: More than 450 land line phone subscribers and over 80 Broadband Internet users of Katikata Telephone Exchange under Salepur Telecom Sub-Division are facing a harrowing time for the last two days following damage to the optical fibre cable (OFC).
Sources said the telephone exchange has gone totally dead after ARSS Infrastructure Project Limited, which is engaged in expansion work of Cuttack-Chandbali State Highway, cut the OFC. The cable has been damaged in different places from Jagatpur to Katikata, the sources added.
“Though the telephone exchange is lying dead from Thursday, no step has yet been taken by the authorities of telephone department to repair the OFC cable and restore connection, alleged Pratap Satapthy, a BSNL Broadband subscriber of Katikata. When contacted, Salepur Sub-Divisional Telecom Officer BB Patnaik said the employees and workers of ARSS Infrastructure Project Limited are not cooperating with telecom officials for which the process of repair and restoration is getting delayed.
“Due to careless and whimsical attitude of ARSS staff, other linking cables have also been damaged in several places,” Patnaik said. On the other hand, head supervisor of ARSS Infrastructure Project Limited Ranjan Swain put the blame on BSNL authorities for the situation. The BSNL officials are remaining absent during excavation work, he added.