The BSNL orders curtailing the benefits/facilities of its workers with regard to Medical allowance, LTC and encashment is not a wise decision. The management’s plea that it was taken to reduce expenditure in the present financial crisis does not carry conviction. The management has taken many decisions during the last two years benefitting the top officers, even when the financial crisis has started.
When the workers are on serious campaign and commitment to improve the services and expand the same, they should be congratulated and motivated. Instead, the management is trying to demotivate them. This is a foolish act.
The management should restore the benefits and ensure the co-operation of the employees for expansion and better service to the people.

The National Convention of Central-State government, Railway, Defence, BSNL employees etc. held at Delhi against PFRDA Bill had decided to organise a Parliament March on 29th November and to submit memorandum signed by lakhs of workers to the Prime Minister/President.
The Steering Committee leaders who met today, 11th September, has decided to prepone the date of Parliament March to 25th November.
Those who are attending the Parliament March may note and change their reservations/book their tickets accordingly.

It is reported that BSNL has decided to update and digitize its land records. It can be a normal routine. But in the present juncture when the company has posted a loss of Rs.1823 crore in 2001-2010 and is liable to have a loss of about Rs. 2500 to 3000 in 2010-2011, this action indicates something unusual.
Whether BSNL is proposing to market the land ? Is there any provision for the same? Whether the property of the Government/PSU can be sold? Is there any necessity to sell the family silver?
These are valuable assets of the company and can it be sold to pass over the present crisis?
These are questions that have to be answered. Workers are also stake holders. Let their opinion be taken, if there is such a proposal.

What is happening in W.Bengal after the Trinamool Government has taken over? The Left MPs from W.Bengal organised a dharna in front of Parliament and submitted a memorandum to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister. A summary of the report shows what is happening in W.Bengal after the new government has taken over.

1. 30 Left Front Leaders (CPIM-28 RSP 2) murdered
2. 684 women were physically assaulted. 508 molested. 23 raped.
3. 3785 persons admitted to hospitals for injuries due to attacks.
4. 2064 cases of arson and looting.
5. 14,081 persons evicted from their houses
6. About 40,000 vacated their houses under threat.
7. 758 party, trade union and mass organisations offices attacked/ransacked/closed.
8. 77 students union offices captured.
9. 3418 ryots denied right to cultivate their lands amounting 9222.73 acres.
10.26,838 patta holders evicted from patta and barga lands.
These are happening in one of the states of India. It is done under the patronage of the State Government.
Will the people of the country know what is happening? Will the Centre ensure the saftety of lives and property?
We have not forgotten the semi-fascit rule in W.Bengal from 1972 to for about six years which lasted till the Left front government came. Is that semi-fascist rule reappearing?

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre towers in New York 1o years ago, in 2001 on 11th September resulted in the complete collapse of the two towers with more than 3000 perished. The terrorists hijacked four planes out of which two directly hit the towers completely destroying them.
It was only a few days back that the terrorists has bomb-blasted the reception side of the Delhi High Court killing 11 persons and severely wounding about 100 innocent people.
Terror threat has to be squarely met. The entire world nations have to join together to eliminate this danger.

The JPC seems to be going on a long route. At first it was said that the committee will be giving the report within a few months. Everything is altered now.
According to the Chairman of the JPC, Shri P.C.Chacko, the report may be submitted by the end of the Budget session of the Parliament next year, 2012. The reason: Evidences have to be taken from a long list of witnesses including the former DOT Secretaries, Ministers of Communications and so on. At present, according to the chairman of JPC, 78 sittings have to be held for taking evidences and 8 sittings for finalisation of the report.
Let us wait for the report. There is no other way.

While I was going on morning walk through the road from Gole Market to Connaught Place,New Delhi, I suddenly noticed the telephone posts, which are standing as monuments on the side of the path-way. There are about 5 of them at certain distances. I thought why I had not noticed them earlier. Only the posts were there – no bracket, insulators or spikes.
My mind ran back to the earlier days. Some ten-twenty years back you could have seen such telephone posts standing majestically on the sides of almost all roads, whether in the towns or in the country side. The telephone lines were connected on these posts and will be going on endlessly. There were trunk lines as well as local lines. These connected the telephone lines through out the country.
These posts were made of metal tubes, called A,B,C,and D according to the circumference, the biggest being the A. All these tubes were about 8 feet length and they were fixed according to the required height. The lowest tube A, then B, then C etc. For fixing it strongly in the earth sole-plate and socket were used. On the posts, brackets will be fixed on which insulators will be put. The telephone lines are rounded on these insulators and extended to the next post. There will be a cap for these insulators. Then a lightning spike will be fixed on the top part of the post for the safety of the posts and line from lightning etc. One or two stay wires will be fixed from the top part of the post to the earth. These posts were a sight to see. Telegraph lines were also there through which the messages were sent by morse code.
These posts were being manufactured from the Telecom Factories Kolkata, Jabalpur etc. They were made in such a way to last for decades. At that time nobody thought that these posts will disappear and give way for the cables. Many of these posts after their use are piled up in the telephone excahnge compounds or telecom stores as orphans. And they were sold as scraps.
After the cables have been laid on a large scale, most of these posts have disappeared. How I was glad to see these posts still standing on the path-side, probably thinking about their glorious past. They will be nostalgically thinking about the linemen and mazdoors who used to climb by embracing them. Those times have gone never to return.
I do not know how many more years these posts will be there. In my opinion these should be kept as historical monuments of the growth of telecom services in the country.

For the last one week unusual heavy rains are continuing in Delhi. During the last so many years, I have not seen such heavy rains here. Roads are blogged and traffic jam continues. There is no sewage system for the water to go. Everywhere it is blocked. The city is being washed by the rain.
Such sustained and strong agitations and other powerful actions are necessary to expose the corruptions and scams and also the black money and to catch the culprits and clean the country.

During the Parliament session, almost all the departments are fully engaged with parliament work, preparing answers, attending the parliament by top officers of the department when its issues are discussed etc. All other works are delayed.
Now that the Parliament session is adjourned, we hope that the departments will start functioning.

Myself and Comrade P.Abhimanyu GS BSNLEU along with Comrade Basudeb Acharya Member of Parliament and leader of the CPI(M) in Lok Sabha met Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications & IT today, 9th September and discussed about the long pending issues of the Casual and Contract workers engaged in BSNL. We presented the case with necessary details. He patiently heard and seemed to be appreciating our demands. However we have to see what are the decisions being taken. A brief note on the matter will be published in the BSNLEU union website http://www.bsnleuchq.com