Telecom infrastructure allowed to disintegrate in North Sikkim

WANGCHUK BHUTIA
MANGAN: The poor telecom service provided by BSNL in the North district has consistently attracted criticism from the people, who are now even more offended by the sight of telecom cables littered along the highway and various states of neglect and disrepair.
The BSNL cable line in North Sikkim stands abandoned in a pathetic condition, snapped at some places and hanging from collapsed poles at others. The optical fiber cables installed barely a year ago connecting Singtam to Mangan is obviously not in a position to offer any connectivity. This line has been damaged at several locations, especially between Aap Dara to Thingchim Zero. The unfortunate part is that no one appears concerned enough to either repair these disruptions or reinforce the infrastructure better.

The commuters realize that most of the damage has been caused due to the plying of heavy vehicles on this road which have shaken the telecom posts loose and damaged the cables. Then there is the problem of cable theft, for which the stretch of Kambal, Raley and Marchak Lower Tintek are notorious.
This condition ensures that the BSNL service remains poor in North Sikkim. Now, even the telecom tower in Dzongu is not functioning due to delay in supply of diesel.