A parliamentary panel has flagged delays in the laying of an optical fibre cable (OFC) network for the defence forces and has called for institutionalisation of proactive planning, strict adherence to project milestones and regular reviews of the outcome.
In its latest report presented in Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session, the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology observed that for the 2025-25 fiscal, no expenditure had been incurred by the telecommunications department on the OFC network for the defence services.
For 2024-25, initially no funds were earmarked in the budgetary estimates and it was only in revised estimates that Rs 1315.96 crore was allocated. The payments for the projects are released based on milestones achieved in the project and upon demand raised by BSNL.
An expansive and dedicated OFC network is being laid for the defence services to replace the spectrum previously used by the military for communication. The network spans the entire country, connecting various installations and posts. With high bandwidth, reliability and security, it aims to enhance communication and network-centric warfare capability of the defence forces.
BSNL has listed out several reasons for the delays in achieving milestones for certain projects, which include the highly complex nature of the work involving multiple stakeholders.
Difficulties and delays were faced in receiving thousands of Right of Way (RoW) permissions from various agencies like the National Highways Authority of India, Border Roads Organisation, Railways as well as various state government agencies like Public Works Department, forest, wildlife and municipal bodies. Road-widening activities have delayed the OFC laying and subsequent operationalisation of the network.
The limited working season in areas like Ladakh, Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim due to inclement weather, snow cover, routes remaining closed for months and the harsh terrain is also an issue for projects getting delayed.
BSNL also claimed that due to restrictions in movement because of Covid-19 lockdowns, the project suffered a lot of delays. Further, global chip shortage during Covid and even afterwards badly impacted the supply of equipment.
The report also mentioned that the Army placed additional requirements like extra OFC laying to connect new buildings, Fiber Distribution Module (FDMS), and amplifiers. These last minute additional requirements have also added to the delay of the project.
