The services of BSNL are being affected due to frequent cable thefts in the city of Chandigarh.

"Thieves and anti-social elements have been at work recently and have stolen our cables from manholes/bridges. As a result telecom services have been affected in some parts as it takes 5-7 days in the repair work," said BSNL''s General Manager, Chandigarh, Naresh Sharma.

The problem is faced in cities of Chandigarh, Panchkula in Haryana and Mohali in Punjab.

"About 800 telephones have gone dead as a result of this single incident as the copper cables were stolen. It will take nearly a week in the repair work, which is often tedious," added Sharma.