Telecom strike hits services

As Communications Minister Pramod Mahajan has been busy in Italy over the last week or so signing MoUs with the government there, striking unions of the corporations he heads have virtually stalled STD and ISD services especially in the southern part of the country.

The work to rule agitation by engineering staff of both BSNL and MTNL have left long distance callers virtually stranded. Also affected are calls made from BSNL/MTNL phones to cellphones. Internet connectivity has also been a nightmare for netsurfers. Speaking to The Indian Express, striking unions said that the management or the minister were not talking to the striking workers which could lead to an intensifying of the agitation with further repercussions on the telecommunications networks in the country. Places which have badly been affected by the ongoing strike include Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Pune and Bangalore. Other centres like Bhopal, Indore Hyderabad and Baroda also faced some disruption in services.