The Hindu : Severe blow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Severe blow

Sir, — The TRAI's decision has come as a severe blow to the customers of BSNL. The tariff hike will affect BSNL's future. The number of free calls has also been cut down. It will hit the customers badly.

May be, TRAI wants to give a boost to mobile telephone services at the cost of BSNL's landline phones. If the Government accepts TRAI's recommendations on enhancing landline tariff, most of the customers will switch over to mobile service. In that case, it may not be necessary for the customers to choose BSNL's cellular service. Either way, the BSNL will bite the dust.

S. Haja Najeemudeen,Cochin

* * *

Sir, — The "arbitration'' of the telecom war clearly reveals the Government's intentions. The problem was between two rival groups of companies selling mobile services. The solution — make basic telephone services more expensive.

The game, it seems, was fixed even before it started. A certain business house's new venture had to profit, either at the expense of smaller competitors or profitable public enterprises.

The public's helplessness made it an easy prey; for its elected representatives are too eager to please their corporate funding masters. And our Ministers' "high flying'' lifestyle might be quite difficult to sustain on "public'' salary.

Sanjay Ghosh,

New Delhi

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