Telecom is a fast growing industry, with technological changes taking place continuously. Within about seven-eight decades, the telephone technology has changed from magneto to CB, auto, electronic and so on. The telephone and telegraph posts which one could see through out the city/town and on the roads to villages standing like sentinels are no more there. The large auto exchanges which can cover space of for more than two badminton courts, with continuous noise of the rotating switches have vanished. The foundry items for the fixing of posts are no more required. These are all dumped somewhere in the stores rooms or in the compound. Pieces of the copper/iron wires which are unusable are also there. Telephone posts of all varieties, old generators, batteries, faulty telephone equipments and such other unusable equipment are all dumped in the large store-rooms or are sprawled over the vacant spots in the exchange/office compound.
In the case of the Telecom Factories and Telecom Stores, the situation is much more worse. The compounds of the TFs, having space of thirty- forty acres, even up to more than hundred, are all full of the scrap materials, which are no more useful. Zinc ash and other such chemical waste are also hazards of health to the workers.
These scraps are to be sold. Not only the company will get a good amount, but the exchange/office and premises will become clean and neat. Each and every SSA may get lakhs or even crores of rupees from the sale of these scraps. The Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations has been demanding he management to sell these scraps at the earliest and get good money. In those SSAs, where it was sold, lakhs and crores have been received according to the stock and condition of the stores. But in the majority SSAs, TFs and Stores, these are yet to be sold. Of course, the usual process of tender etc. will have to be processed. But sufficient time is already passed.
Let the Forum/BSNLEU take the lead in discussing the matter with the local management and ensure that the scraps are sold without any further delay, so that good money is received for the financially troubled company.