KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 1
The Nepal Electricity Authority has given a 45-day ultimatum to service providers to manage cable television, internet, telephone wires, and equipment on utility poles.
Issuing a public notice today, the NEA set standards for the structures to be placed on electric poles for telecommunication, cable TV, and internet services and requested service providers to manage them accordingly.
According to NEA Deputy Managing Director Manoj Silwal, in a bid to minimise accidents, including fire, provide reliable electricity service, and maintain urban beauty, the NEA has urged service providers of telecommunications, cable TV, and internet to manage their structures within the given deadline.
"If any service provider fails to manage wires within the given time, the authority will be compelled to remove them as per the Nepal Electricity Authority Act-1984 and guilty service providers will be liable for any loss incurred with its action," Silwal warned.
"Tangled electric and cable wires hanging from utility poles are not only unsightly, but also a fire hazard and affect the power supply," he said, adding, "We have set the standard criteria in order to maintain the beauty of the city and to minimise electrical incidents for systematic management of wires and equipment of various service providers."
The authority has specified the minimum gap between optical fibres/cables, power lines, and the ground surface.
As per new guidelines, the minimum gap between 400- volt bare and insulated wires and cables shall be 80 cm and 30 cm, respectively; the minimum gap between 11 kV and 33 kV lines and cables should be two metres, while the minimum gap between cables and 400-volt devices should be 75 cm. It has also specified that the minimum gap between optical fibre cables and footpath should be 2.4 metres and in case of roads that gap should be 5.5 metres.
If any service provider is unable to maintain the minimum gap, NEA will bar them from providing services to customers through service cables.
As per guidelines, devices such as routers and optical fibre distribution boxes should be connected to the same part of the pole so that they don't fall or shake. Moreover, they should be properly wired using clips. Guidelines further state that wires and other devices that are not in use should be removed immediately.
The NEA has also requested service providers to place cable tags to identify their wires.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 2, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
