BSNL employees warned against satellite link withdrawal

Agartala, Nov 28: The United Forum of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL) has threatened to step down work against the decision for withdrawing satellite communication linkage from Tripura.

Meanwhile, Tripura government had also protested the move and demanded the cancellation of the decision, considering the backwardness and slow development in the land-locked state.

According to the Forum officials, Joint DDG(R), Transmission and Planning cell, BSNL New Delhi, P K Pandey had issued the snapping order last week and the state authority was informed through the GM of the Eastern region in Kolkata, directing them to close all the existing Intermediate Data Rate(IDR) system in the state.

The Forum leaders said they apprehended that with the shutdown of satellite linkage in such a state as Tripura, telephones and Internet would face troubles, since IDR links connects the remote subdivisions with Agartala and abroad.

Normally, it serves 20 to 40 per cent of telecommunication needs but in case of microwave and optical fiber cable(OFC) fault, it caters 90 per cent of the traffic, while satellite was considered as the most stable medium, they claimed.

The microwaves failed repeatedly in militant dominated areas and in same time OFC also collapsed at Sonapur on NH 44 due to landslide but the situation could only be tackled with the help of satellite, UFBSNL Mr Prabir Paul pointed out.

On the other hand, microwave failure cused during the monsoon.

BSNL Executives' Associations had expressed anger over the decision and claimed it was the gross violation of the assurance of BSNL authority to the state government in 2004 that three-tire communications would be strengthened for stable and uninterrupted telecommunication in the state.

Mr Paul said the satellite communication easily could be run and for the safety, and welfare of the people and greater interest of BSNL, that linkage was required very much in such a insurgency affected and comparatively backward state.

UNI