HYDERABAD: Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) to immediately stop cutting Airtel’s optical fibre cables (OFC) laid on electricity poles.
The court also issued notices to the TGSPDCL CMD in response to a writ petition filed by M/s Bharti Airtel Limited. Senior advocate S Ravi, appearing for Airtel, submitted that the company had obtained due permission under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Right of Way Rules, 2024, and had paid about Rs 21 crore towards pole rentals since 2021.
Despite this, TGSPDCL officials allegedly removed OFC lines without notice, violating Rule 18 of the Right of Way Rules, disrupting services to lakhs of subscribers, including hospitals and courts.
The court observed that arbitrary disruption of telecom infrastructure, an essential service, seriously prejudices the public. It also recorded that the Centre had asked the state to prevent such acts.
The court directed TGSPDCL to file its counter and adjourned the matter to August 22. Meanwhile, Standing Counsel for TGSPDCL was instructed to immediately inform officials to stop cutting Airtel’s cables.
Hyderabad faces digital blackout
Internet and TV services down for at least 30% of consumers
Work-from-home disruptions, targets missed
Students unable to attend online classes or exams
Businesses halted as online billing and orders failed
Home security cameras stopped working
Service restoration expected to take 2–3 days
Operators lacked prior notice and permissions for cables
Financial losses due to sudden cable removal
Even providers like Jio were affected