BSNL employees in state join the nationwide strike

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Kolkata, July 11 (UNI) About 40,000 BSNL employees in West Bengal today joined the one-day nationwide strike partially affecting telephone services here.

The strike had been called by the joint forum of Executives and Non-executives Association of BSNL demanding ministerial approval of the deal for providing new GSM mobile connections.

Describing the strike as total success, Association convenor Saibal Sengupta said meetings and demonstrations were held by the striking employees in front of all the BSNL establishments in the state.

''The strike is total and peaceful. It has affected the manual services,'' he told UNI.

Mr Sengupta alleged that telecom ministry was planning the tender that Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens cleared for supplying equipment for six million new GSM lines across the country.

''If this happens, the mobile expansion plan of BSNL will take a severe beating and we will lag behind other service providers in the competition. We will not be able to provide new connections for the next few years,'' he said.

He allleged that even if the government decided to go for a fresh tender, it would take another two years to complete the whole process.

In 2005, the BSNL Board of Directors issued a tender for new GSM lines and Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens cleared the bid in October last year, but Motorola moved the Delhi High court seeking its stay on it.

The case was, however, withdrawn in April this year and the BSNL board approved the report of Committee for Evaluation of Tender (CET) for purchasing order.

''But Telecom Minister A Raja has refused to clear the deal. He has held back the tender saying that the bids must be lowered. We want the minister to accept the earlier tender and issue purchase order,'' Mr Sengupta added.

UNI

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