Nagpur: Telecom companies seeking to dig up city roads to lay optical fibre cables and other underground networks will have to navigate a stricter, time-bound approval system, with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) putting a 67-day clock on Right of Way (RoW) applications.The civic body has introduced a portal-based Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure applications are processed within the timeframe prescribed under the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024. The move is aimed at preventing files from remaining pending and resulting in “deemed permission” for applicants.Under the proposed system, automated alerts will start flashing seven days before the deadline. A red alert will be generated seven days before the deadline, followed by an orange alert three days before and a final alert 24 hours before expiry. The alerts will be escalated to the concerned executive engineer, chief engineer and municipal commissioner.The SOP, prepared by NMC’s Hotmix Department, also tightens the financial conditions for telecom operators. For 2026-27, the civic body has fixed road restoration charges at Rs11,696 per cubic metre for asphalt roads and Rs11,479 per cubic metre for concrete roads. These are substantially higher than the earlier NMC CSR rates of Rs9,117 and Rs8,365, respectively — an increase of around 28% for asphalt and 37% for concrete.For paver blocks, the restoration rate has been fixed at Rs9,702 per cubic metre, while restoration of roadside shoulders will cost Rs5,930 per cubic metre.Telecom companies will have to furnish an undertaking to restore the road before excavation and submit a bank guarantee equivalent to 20% of the estimated restoration cost. They will also have to undertake restoration of the excavated stretch themselves and remain responsible for damage caused exclusively by their work.The civic body’s prescribed charges for optical fibre cable-related works have also been revised following the stipulated 10% annual escalation. Supervision charges have risen from Rs1,965 to Rs2,165 per running metre, while the security deposit has increased from Rs9,620 to Rs10,585 per running metre.The SOP seeks to make the approval process a single-window exercise. A nodal officer will coordinate scrutiny between different NMC departments, with applicants receiving queries through consolidated communication instead of dealing separately with multiple departments.Technical scrutiny will cover route alignment, excavation depth, traffic safety and conflicts with existing underground utilities.For underground telecom networks, permission for surveys is to be issued within seven days. If rejection is proposed, the process must be initiated within 45 days, giving the applicant an opportunity to respond.The NMC also plans to create a GIS-based RoW asset register containing details of telecom ducts, poles, coordinates and restoration status. The database is expected to help the civic body coordinate telecom works with upcoming road and utility projects and reduce repeated excavation of the same stretches.The NMC law department has held that separate General Body approval is not required for implementing the SOP as the process has been mandated by the state govt under the 2024 RoW rules and directions issued by the Urban Development Department. Municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar approved implementation “as per rules” on Aug 11. The administration, however, has placed the proposal before the General Body meeting scheduled for Sept 16.
