Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to suspend its drive to remove overhead cables, barely a month after its launch, to develop a regulatory framework aligned with 2023-24 directives from the Union power and communications ministries.The decision was taken at a standing committee meeting held on Thursday. Committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale said the civic administration had been directed to draft and submit a formal regulatory framework aligned with the central govt guidelines within the next 10 days. “Until the framework is finalised, the cable removal drive will remain halted,” he said.Civic officials clarified that central regulations already governed overhead cabling, and municipal bodies could not carry out arbitrary removals. “Cables providing essential services cannot be removed under the national guidelines. Instead, they must be regularised under a defined legal structure. In some cases, such cables are permitted to run along municipal streetlight poles, subject to prescribed conditions,” a senior official said.To address the issue comprehensively, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has also constituted a dedicated committee comprising civic officials and representatives of various telecom firms.Meanwhile, the standing committee approved the appointment of a private consultant to conduct a survey of illegal hoardings across the city. Sky sign department officials said action had been taken against 67 unauthorised hoardings so far. “Authorised hoarding owners owe the civic body nearly Rs 70-80 crore in pending dues,” an official said. Bhimale has issued a strict one-month deadline for the recovery of these arrears.In an effort to boost municipal revenue and meet the Rs 15,669 crore budget target for the 2026-27 financial year, PMC has also formed a joint committee comprising standing committee members, the municipal commissioner and the chief accounts officer. The panel will focus on improving tax collection efficiency and exploring new revenue streams.
