Date:19/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/19/stories/2007071952440300.htm

Tamil Nadu

BSNL landlines hit by East Coast Road project

Staff Reporter

Federation seeks immediate action to restore the phones

ARANTHANGI: About 1,000 landline telephones in many coastal villages in the district have been remaining ‘out of order’ for the past two months, due to the damage caused to the cables during the execution of the East Coast Road project between Kattumavadi and Meemisal.

There are about 5,000 working lines under the jurisdiction of the Aranthangi sub-division of the BSNL and at least 1,000 of them have gone dead.

“The restoration process is being delayed as the work on maintenance of cables has been entrusted with the contractors,” says the Aranthangi branch secretary of the National Federation of Telecom Employees, BSNL, M. Madhavan.

Talking to The Hindu on Wednesday on the sidelines of the meeting of the Aranthangi branch of the NFTE - BSNL, Mr. Madhavan said that the BSNL should initiate immediate action to restore the ‘dead’ telephones. Many fishe rmen found it hard to contact their relatives employed abroad. As many as 150 telephones remained dead in Krishnajipattinam and Meemisal each; 250 in Kottaipattinam and 300 in Ammapattinam villages.

The meeting also adopted a resolution in this regard.

Pointing out that there was a growing demand for BSNL mobile connectivity, the meeting adopted another resolution urging the Union Ministry of Communications not to delay the process of approving the tenders for the purchase of 2G and 3G equipment.

The NFTE - BSNL Tamil Nadu Circle secretary, R. Pattabiraman, said the BSNL would turn a sick unit due to stiff competition from the private sector if the purchase of equipment was delayed any longer.