BSNL forwards recommendation on GSM tender to Minister

New Delhi, July 16 (UNI) The board of state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) which met here today to resolve the controversial tender to procure 45.5 million GSM lines said it had made certain suggestions which would be forwarded to Telecom Minister Azhimuthu Raja tomorrow.

''We have tried to take a decision which will be in the overall welfare of BSNL. Tomorrow, we will send our suggestions to the government,'' Company's Chairman A K Sinha told reporters after a meeting of the board.

Mr Sinha, however, did not disclose the details of the much hyped meeting and remained tight-lipped on the proceedings of the meeting.

After a marathon four-hour board meeting to end the impasse over the GSM lines tender issue, Chairman and Managing Director Anil Kumar Sinha said its suggestions will be sent to the Communications and IT Minister.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary, Department of Telecom, M Sahu, BSNL Chairman A K Sinha, Director Finance S K Saxena and other board members.

The Board was expected to decide on the three-member panel report on the review of the tender, keeping in mind the Minister's queries and suggestion to put 3G services out of the tender for the time being and focus on 2G or normal voice services.

The Board is also under pressure from the BSNL union which has threatened to go an indefinite strike if the GSM issue is not resolved soon.

''We will go on an indefinite strike if the Board does not decide on the fate of the tender,'' BSNL union leader V A N Namboodiri told UNI