Starting July 1, employees of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) workplace in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar location have decided to comb their office premises themselves. The cleaning body of workers in their building has left because the news of the general public provider mission turning into cash-strapped reached them.
“If want is, we can rent cleaners and sweepers and pay them from our very own pockets in any other case do it ourselves,” Karamveer Naggar, a BSNL worker at the Ghaziabad office said.
BSNL is in a serious monetary crisis, all over again, and is seeking the authorities’ help, which in flip has grown to become to the banks for loans.
BSNL despatched an SOS to the authorities, searching for instant help as it’s miles locating it “nearly impossible” to hold operations or manage Rs 850 crore income liability for June. The fantastic liabilities of nearly Rs thirteen,000 crores have made its enterprise “unsustainable,” the PSU stated within the letter despatched to the authorities.
What brought about the downfall of a profitable PSU?
The turmoil started two years ago; however, the count number came to light in February 2019 while the personnel’s salaries have been held lower back.
The UPA regime allocated 3G spectrum to BSNL in 2008-09, before it started the auctions. However, the essential equipment was now not procured until 2013. As in keeping with an order circulated, BSNL failed to procure Chinese-manufactured gadget which caused numerous delays.
“Currently, BSNL is left at 10 in step with cent of the mobile marketplace percentage and 70 in keeping with cent is landline share. BSNL currently owes about Rs 6000 crores to companies legal responsibility. Even if they do not pay our salaries, we need that they need to pay the seller liabilities,” a worker affiliation head in Delhi stated.
The telecom PSU made income till 2009. In 2016-17, the loss was Rs four,793 crores and in 2017-18, BSNL had an annual lack of Rs 7,992 crore. Employees agonize that the loss is truely due to the regulations of the consecutive vital governments (the then United Progressive Alliance and modern National Democratic Alliance).
Why peg financial burden on employees?
Between 2000 and 2009, the PSU was making earnings of round Rs 10,000 crore yearly and at that point the number of personnel turned into higher (around three lakh) than the modern quantity of employees. At present, nearly one and a half of lakh employees are employed in BSNL.
In 2016, NITI Aayog, the assume tank of the Centre, has added BSNL in the list of loss-making PSUs. They have also proposed the closure of BSNL, in place of reviving the unwell PSU. While competition at the moment is searching at the auction of 5G spectrum, BSNL became systematically saved faraway from even going for 4G as it would cost the exchequer approximately Rs 14,000 crore.
Comparison with personal gamers was unfair, stated the employees. Individual players like Jio, Vodafone, Airtel use an outsourcing version for operations. BSNL is a PSU wherein employees paintings total time.
The fund crunch has brought about a reduction in electricity delivery. Around 20 in line with cent supply of power to towers is being disrupted.
Some states in which strength supply are nevertheless being given are Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, more than 500 BTS are down.
The count is now caught on the permission of the Department of Telecom to allow mortgage borrowings. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has now not permitted them to approach the banks. However, questions are being raised if BSNL picks up a loan, how will it repay it. While talks of a revival package deal are doing the rounds, employees wait for answers to what the government could do to assist the PSU function on an everyday basis and whether the authorities intervention will now resuscitate the PSU.
