ITSA seeks empowerment of BSNL

OCT 1: "We estimate the cost of unviable operations at Rs 13,000 crore in the very first year which will go up to Rs 16,000 crore nex...

OCT 1: "We estimate the cost of unviable operations at Rs 13,000 crore in the very first year which will go up to Rs 16,000 crore next year… we do not want any subsidies but a proper compensation package so that the new corporation does not become sick from the very first day of its inception," ITSA general secretary U K Srivastava told PTI.

Immediately after launching of BSNL, with an asset base of Rs 63,000 crore, by Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the ITSA office-bearer said provisioning under Universal Services Obligation (USO) for compensation towards managing unviable operations in the social interests were not enough.

He pointed out that the government had just provisioned five per cent of the total DTS revenues of Rs 20,000 crore towards USO. "As against the burden of Rs 13,000 crore estimated for the first year what is Rs 1,000 crore that will come by way of USO," he wondered.

He said Cabinet had discussed the compensation issue last week and ITSA would want the package to be announced for public information.

Srivastava said ITSA had conveyed its feelings to Communication Minister Paswan. Stating that BSNL was perhaps the biggest corporation created by the government ever, he said the government should also ensure that it got total commercial freedom to operate and its chief executive should be given the status of secretary to the Government of India to ensure that he reported directly to the Minister for cutting down red tape.

"Government should also give us some kind of guarantee that all the functional directors with the exception of finance should be from the cadre of Indian Telecom Services," he said.

Srivastava said ITSA representatives had met Brajesh Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister, on the issue of CMD and continuation of ITS cadre. ITSA also sought from Prime Minister an assurance that recruitment for BSNL and MTNL should be continued through Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) as the telecom staff should be part of civil services.