[April 21, 2009] Lasimra Set to Stop Telecom Cable Damage Tweet (AllAfrica.com Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), an agency of the Lagos State Government, empowered to regulate telecom masts and cable laying, has taken steps to put an end to underground cable destruction in the state. Addressing a press conference at the weekend in Lagos the agency said it has entered into discussions with contractors handling various road projects in the state, aimed at finding a lasting solution to the problem of cable destruction during earth excavation. Cables mostly affected by the damage, are telecom underground cables owned by telecom operators in Lagos. The cable destruction cut off transmission networks of telecom operators, thus causing distortions in the transmission of telecom services. General Manager of the agency, Mr. Joe Igbokwe said it is the duty of the agency to protect telecom facilities in the state and that the agency is worried over the recent destruction of underground telecom cables, which he said, is affecting quality of telecom services in the state and beyond. Igbokwe advised contractors to engage workers who could read and understand signs of underground cables, gas pipelines, water pipeline, as well as electric cables that are buried under the earth. "If site workers understand underground cable signs and symbols, they should be able to detect where cables are laid and the debt to which such cables are laid, and avoid destroying them during road construction or cable laying," Igbokwe said. He equally advised contractors handling various road projects to cultivate the habit of digging trial pits to find out if there are any underground cables in their site location. If all these precautions are put into consideration, there will be minimal or no damage of underground cables during road construction in the state, Igbokwe said. Telecommunication operators in Lagos have in recent times, suffered damage of their underground telecom cables in the process of road construction across various parts of the state. The situation has led to poor quality of service, drop calls, and inability of subscribers to recharge their phones. According to Igbokwe, the state government is not folding its arms in the circumstance, and the Ministry of Science and Technology is currently compiling all existing underground facilities, including water, gas pipelines, telecom and electric cables across the state, in order to have proper statistics of where these cables are laid in the state. To complement the efforts of the Ministry, LASIMRA said it dispatched a letter to all telecom stakeholders, requesting for statistics and maps on their existing underground facilities in the state. Igbokwe noted that most of the reported cases are either caused by haste or ignorance, while appealing to telecom operators to bear with the contractors, as the issue is being addressed. © 2009 AllAfrica Global Media. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company (c) 2009 AllAfrica Global Media. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]