News Forum - Broke Bangkok can’t afford to finish underground cables project

[Thaiger]

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 […]

The story Broke Bangkok can’t afford to finish underground cables project as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

make the city tidier.

I'd miss the tangeled cablesits part of Bangkok soul. And besides, what are the mad drivers gonna hit when all the power poles are gone?

[Graham]

Maybe they should get the money from the pot that is used to buy toys for the military, i am sure there is plenty there if it hasn't been siphoned off already.

[DesperateOldHand]

Yet, can afford to line the pockets of corrupted politicians, elites and other assorted scallywags. 

Plutocracy rules the day.

[TWS60]

Still applaud the motivation to address this.  I'd even say leave the electric lines up and, at a minimum, require the basket of private internet companies to go underground.  In my moo baan, seems like when a house wants internet service, or changes from one provider to another, the new company chucks up a new wire and the other company's remains up there.  X100, extrapolated out over years. 

In time you don't notice it as much, like the piles of rubbish on plots of undeveloped, overgrown land where kind souls seeking religious merit for themselves, feed the pack of fertile soi dogs so they are just healthy enough to push out more puppies twice a year. 

[Augratin]

Not surprised at all.  I've been saying this for years, ever since the idea was first proposed: burying cables is fabulously expensive for both the initial capital outlay and the ongoing maintenance & repairs.

Just reduce the communications bundles to a few channelized fiber trunks and divvy-up the bandwidth to the various telecom companies.  Maybe even sunset landline/dial tone since everybody uses VoIP or cell service these days.

[ChrisS]

Makes me laugh that they say they have run out of money, did no one cost this project before it started? Or did the backhanders come in a lot more than anticipated?

[DesperateOldHand]

How about Ammat sharing some of their unworthy wealth for the commons....

[Buzzkill]

Finish what you can asylum go and never never borrow money from China for any project. Be self sustaining .

[HiuMak]

If they don't have the money to finish the project, how do they expect to have the funds to maintain it?