Broke Bangkok can’t afford to finish underground cables project

The Bangkok Deputy Governor, Wisanu Subsompon, appealed to the private and public sectors to come together and complete the capital’s perpetual cable problem.

The deputy governor revealed that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) might have to cancel the project, to bury the city’s underground power lines altogether, unless it can find some way of coming up with more funds.

Wisanu made public that the Krungthep Thanakom Company, responsible for the project, does not have a sufficient budget to finish the job and called for the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissions for support.

Wisanu added that the BMA expected companies in the private sector responsible for a number of the city’s mobile networks to contribute to the cost of burying them underground.

The private sector refused to rent, however, saying the rental fee is too expensive. And, with the Krungthep Thanakom Company saying it does not have the 19 billion baht to complete the job, the city has been left with a conundrum.

The 54 year old deputy insists that the only way to complete the project is to get support from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissions but they have failed to answer the call as yet.

Wisanu made known that some parts of the project have been completed while other work is ongoing. The BMA completed burying 7.2 kilometres for 140 million baht while one kilometre of a communication line on Rama 1 Road is still under construction.

The Metropolitan Electricity Authority has buried 62 kilometres of power lines while work for 174.1 kilometres is still to complete. Twelve kilometres of that work is expected to be finished this year, and about 77.3 kilometres are expected to be completed by 2027.

Wisanu reported that while the underground power line project will be temporarily suspended, the BMA would continue removing dead communication and power lines to make the city tidier.

SOURCE: Thai PBS | Prachachat