22/08/2025
Press release from District Administrative Centre, Gangtok
Mission Clean Sky Launched to Regulate Telecom & Internet Cable Laying in Gangtok
Gangtok, August 22: In the beautiful city of Gangtok, overhead cables pose serious problems, including visual degradation of the town’s natural beauty, negatively impacting tourism, and being a potential hazard during emergencies and disasters by obstructing rescue operations by causing hindrance to the free movement of rescue personnel and vehicles. This highlights a major safety concern in the event of an actual disaster where swift response is critical. Further, feedback from tourists emphasizes that although Gangtok remains a scenic and beautiful town, the chaotic overhead cables are diminishing its visual appeal. Besides, the way these wires are laid down is a violation of right of way rules in India and Indian Telegraph Act 1885.
In recognition of the same, Gangtok district administration, along with Gangtok Municipal Corporation, ISP and relevant line departments, has launched Mission Clean Sky to regulate and streamline the laying of telecom and internet cables across Gangtok. The mission will include following:
1. Removal of all the unused / unusable / defunct wires.
2. Undergrounding of wires wherever possible, and bunching, bundling, fastening and securing wires in other areas so as to align them in a grid-like pattern. No loose and criss-crossing wires will be permitted.
3. ISPs must bundle wires neatly on poles, either in a box bearing the company’s name or stored in private premises, not on public land.
4. Removal of legacy poles, which can be misused for haphazardly laying out wires in future, belonging to BSNL or Power Department.
“The mission, having started from MG Marg and Lal Bazaar, will next focus on Highways, and will continue in a phased manner to eventually secure all public ways, from main roads to the alleys”
This will enhance the visual aesthetics of the city while ensuring reliable connectivity and mitigating risks posed by cables during disasters and emergencies. The long term objective of this policy is to establish a sustainable and enforceable policy framework for cable management.
It is crucial to note that the role of common people, as householders and business owners, is of utmost importance, as the routing of bunched and bundled wires will be done by using pre-existing ledges of buildings instead of short BSNL/power poles. The district administration has passed an order that laying down/crossing shall be granted an easement of necessity, meaning that Telecom and Internet Service Providers will have a right to use these ledges and other such structures for passing of their wires, provided that they do not cause undue defacement of anyone’s property. As such, cooperation of the people of Gangtok is integral to ensuring smooth, efficient and effective success of Mission Clean Sky.
