Date:26/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/26/stories/2007062654420500.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

BSNL delaying expansion, says union

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sanchar Nigam Executives’ Association, representing executive officers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), conducted a ‘lunch hour demonstration’ in front of the company’s chief general manager’s office here on Monday protesting against the “intentional delay in the expansion of its mobile phone network in Kerala.”

In a press release, the union said this agitation was to compel BSNL management to purchase equipments needed for expanding the company’s mobile phone network. The delay in doing this had eroded the BSNL’s market share in the State to the advantage of private mobile phone operators, according to the union.

This agitation is part of the union’s nationwide campaign to check the erosion of this public sector company’s market share over the last couple of years. Similar demonstrations were conducted on Monday by the company’s executives in front of all the circle offices and district offices of BSNL in the country, the union said. This will be followed by a day-long dharna in all these places on June 29, the union added.

In a memorandum to the Union Minister of Communication and Information Technology, A. Raja, the union said that BSNL had reached a saturation point eight or nine months ago.