Maintain status quo, orders HC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 17

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the maintenance of status quo regarding installation/affixing of poles and overhead telecom cables. The directions came after the Bench was told that Jio Digital Fibre Private Limited had been granted permission to lay overhead telecom cables in Sectors 24 and 25, Panchkula.

The direction by Justice Karamjit Singh came on a petition filed against the Panchkula Municipal Corporation and other respondents by the Citizen Committee House Owner’s Welfare Association through counsel Prashant Gupta. The petitioner had challenged an order dated January 3, whereby respondents-MC had given permission to respondent-Jio to lay overhead telecom cables running into 14,250 meters in Sectors 24 and 25.

Gupta submitted the permission was granted to respondent company against the “Communication and Connectivity Infrastructure Policy of the Government of Haryana” framed in 2017. He further submitted that laying of overhead cables on poles specifically erected for the purpose was to be discouraged as per the policy.

Issuing notice of motion for November 26, Justice Karamjit Singh asserted: “In the meantime, status quo regarding installation/affixing of poles and overhead telecom cables be maintained, as on today”.