The sad saga of BSNL in A & NIslands
DJ Venkash & Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair/Diglipur, July 04: “The Subscriber is not reachable” is the response one would get while calling anyone with a BSNL mobile number in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The story does not end there, Internet users who earn their bread from the service provided by the BSNL are hard hit due to BSNL’s poor network. Important correspondence that rely on the service of the BSNL are paralysed causing further delay in rendering service to the common man.
In Andaman Group of Islands, Diglipur region is worst hit by poor internet connectivity. People of Diglipur allege that this is because of old machinery, majority of which are not functioning well or have not been upgraded.
New Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) was sanctioned by the BSNL last year in August but till date the files are shuttling between APWD and Forest and other departments for reasons unknown.
“When an OFC can solve the problem of entire North & Middle Andaman problems, then why there is so much delay?” questioned an angry resident of Diglipur.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha the new Chief General Manager of BSNL’s A & N Circle, Mr V Senthil Vasan told that the BSNL can solve the problem if the issue is related to power equipments. “In that case it can be done in one month. For setting up new towers it will take one more year,” the CGM said.
He also urged the public of A&N Islands to call 198 and 1500 for landline and other complains.
“Priority will be given to complaints booked through these numbers. Two to three officers will attend the complaints,” he added.
BSNL’s network as bad as it has always been was completely down for last few years at a stretch causing a lot of inconvenience to its users. Hope in near future the BSNL’s A & N Circle will show some more professionalism and provide atleast reliable service to people of these far-flung Islands.
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