Telangana Adopts Telecommunications Act 2023 and Right of Way Rules

HYDERABAD — The Telangana government has decided to adopt the central Telecommunications Act-2023 and the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules-2024 across the state with immediate effect, according to an official order issued on Saturday by Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju.

With this order, the previous state policy under G.O. Ms. No. 2, issued by the Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITE&C) Department in February 2021, will be superseded with effect from January 1, 2025, except for permissions already granted. All public entities across Telangana will now grant Right of Way (RoW) approvals strictly under the provisions of the central legislation and rules.

Under the new framework, all government departments, local bodies, corporations, and state public sector undertakings must nominate nodal officers and onboard them onto the Department of Telecommunications' Telecom e-Services portal within 30 days. Moving forward, all RoW applications, permissions, timelines, and deemed approvals will be processed exclusively through the online portal.

BharatNet has been designated as a special project under the RoW Rules-2024. Public entities have been instructed to give highest priority to BharatNet and other notified special initiatives without levying any fees, charges, rent, annuity, bank guarantees, or financial contributions for deploying and maintaining telecom infrastructure on public property. Additionally, under Section 14(3) of the Act, telecommunication networks installed on or under properties cannot be assessed for property taxes, cesses, or local levies by municipal corporations or gram panchayats.

To prevent damage to underground assets, the state made the central government's Call Before u Dig (CBuD) mobile application mandatory. All public agencies and contractors must onboard the platform within 30 days and use it before starting any excavation. Damaging critical telecommunication infrastructure will be treated as a cognizable and non-bailable offence, carrying penalties of up to three years in prison, fines up to Rs 2 crore, or both.

The Special Chief Secretary to the ITE&C Department has been designated as the State Nodal Officer under Section 14(4) of the Act. Public entities are prohibited from taking coercive measures like sealing or forcibly shutting down authorized telecom networks without prior approval from a designated central officer, except during natural disasters or public emergencies.

Implementation will be tracked through monthly District Level Telecom Committee meetings chaired by District Collectors, while the State Broadband Committee will review progress quarterly under the Chief Secretary. All pending applications submitted up to March 31, 2026, are slated for clearance by September 30, 2026.