Come clean on 4G cable-laying work: HC to TMC

THANE: The Bombay high court on Monday directed the Thane civic administration to clarify its position on the "controversial" decision to allow a lower rate to a telecom major for the micro-trenching work to deploy 4G cables across the city.
Hearing a PIL filed by Congress corporator Vikrant Chavan, a division bench of Justices Naresh Patil and V L Achliya directed the civic body as also the private telecom firm to come clean on the pricing band.
The then civic chief Aseem Gupta had drawn flak for levying a low rate of Rs 72 per running metre for the work as against the prevailing rate of Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000. The opposition had criticized Gupta's decision stating that the undue favour to a corporate had caused a multi-crore loss to the TMC. "I have asked for an independent probe in the issue," Chavan said, adding, "The next hearing is on June 16. The court has asked them to file the reply by then."