Tag Archives: closure

Air India – Only 9 daily flights out of 370 profitable

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy, News, PSU

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The Minister Civil Aviation told the Parliament today that only 9 flights out 370 flights daily of Air India, are profitable. All other flights are causing loss.

The minister also stated that Air India is posting loss for the last three years. The loss in 2011-12 was Rs. 7559.7 crore, in 2012-13 Rs. 5490.2 crore and in 2013-14 Rs. 5388.8 crore. the Minister also told that as on 31 October, Air India has a total loan of Rs. 52237 crores out of which Rs. 23,358 crore is aircraft loan and Rs. 28,879 crore working capital loan.

Both the Congress and BJP will be very happy. Both the UPA and NDA governments together have been able to make the profitable Air India to a loss making PSU. The Air India –  Indian Airlines Merger with out any sustainable plan, purchasing of large number of planes without any requirement, handing over routes to foreign companies, handing over profitable domestic routes to private airlines , scheduling AI flights immediately after the schedule of private air lines, high rent charges to the private airports, mismanagement and of course the policy decisions against PSUs – all these have pushed the Air India in to big loss. The government might have already started thinking about closing or privatising the Air India as is its policy. This has to be defeated and the Air India saved.

 

The Govt. should take over the Chennai Nokia Plant

19 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by in TU News, TU News - India

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Nokia, one of the top manufacturers of mobile phones, has decided to close its factory at Chennai, which will cause loss of jobs of about twenty five thousand workers of the factory.

We demand the government either to compel the management of Nokia to continue the production or the government itself should take over the factory and run the same so that the livelihood of the workers can be protected. The trade unions in the factory including CITU has already raised this reasonable demand.

Immediate action is required.

Don’t close telegram services – Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations

13 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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A report in ” Hindu ” reproduced below:

“Even as the Union government gears to give the iconic telegram service a grand farewell on July 15, BSNL employees have condemned the move, arguing that it is still being used by government departments and organisations and those in rural and remote areas.

Rejecting BSNL’s contention that mounting losses made the service unsustainable, unions have urged Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal to try to make it profitable. “It is a valued service and should be kept as a skeleton service and preserved as a heritage,” says the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations, which represents more than 2.5 lakh employees of the state telecom major.

‘Most authentic’

“Even after the introduction of… Internet, STD and e-mail, telegrams are still used by military personnel for official use and also for contacting their families from remote locations… Many banks and State governments are still utilising the service. Telegrams are also treated as most authentic… in legal matters and official records. At least, minimum service should be maintained in the interests of the people who are still using it,” Forum convener V.A.N. Namboodiri has said. He urged Mr. Sibal to hold discussions with unions before taking a final decision.

Mr. Sibal has said the telegram service will get a “ceremonial farewell.” “We will bid it a very warm farewell, and maybe the last telegram sent should be a museum piece. That is the way in which we can bid it a warm farewell,” he said on Thursday.

In India, the first telegraph message was transmitted live between Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Diamond Harbour, a distance of 50 km, on November 5, 1850; and the service was opened for the public in February 1855. Over the years, BSNL made several upgrades, the latest being the web-based messaging system introduced in 2010.”

 

PILs against closure of telegram services

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in Telecom

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In addition to the PLI filed against closure of telegram services in Madras High Court, another PLI is filed in the Madurai branch of the Madras High Court. A report on the same is reproduced below:

Madurai: Against the backdrop of BSNL discontinuing the 160-year-old telegraph service from 15 July, a PIL was today filed in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court here seeking a stay on the order.

A Division Bench of Justice Paul N Vasanthakumar and Justice P Devadoss directed the central government advocate to get instructions and posted the case for hearing tomorrow.

Image for representation only. AFP

Image for representation only. AFP

Seeking the court’s intervention to stay the order of BSNL senior GM discontinuing the service, the petitioner highlighted the various important roles played by telegram.

The petitioner, President of the Federation of Consumer and Service Organizations, M.Sekaran, rejected BSNL’s contention that there are no users of the telegram, alleging the service alone had faced step-motherly treatment.

If BSNL felt that it could not run the service, it could as well hand over the service to the postal department which was handling it efficiently from 1850 to 1990.

Robert Chandrakumar, another petitioner, also filed a PIL with the same prayers on the issue.

The petitioner wanted the telegraph service to be continued at affordable rates.

According to a recent circular issued by Shameem Akhtar, Sr General Manager (Telegraph Services) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) Corporate office, New Delhi, the telegraph service is to be discontinued with effect from 15 July, 2013.

PTI

 

ow:

Stop this closure of telegram services

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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Protests are mounting against the anti-people decision of BSNL to close its one and half century telegram services from 15th July 2013, citing loss as the reason. Of course, telegram service as well telephone service in the rural areas are in loss, but it is a service to the ordinary people and on the plea of loss it can not be closed. BSNL is implementing the universal service access policy of the government and it can not cut the service to the ordinary people. If there is loss, it should demand and get sufficient money from the government. Most of the rural telephone service in loss. Does it mean that all those exchanges are to be closed.

And the loss factor itself is in scanner. The telegram services are part of the customer services and there is no special expenditure for the same. The available staff is attending to the telegrams also. More than 50,000 telegrams are dealt by the BSNL every month and more than 15 crores earned per year. The loss of Rs. 135 crore calculated by the BSNL is imaginary and include the salaries of employees, maintenance etc. which in any way will be there whether the telegram services are closed or not.

Many sections of the people are still using the services, though the number has come down due to the advanced technology gadgets like mobile, internet etc. The trams are still running in Kolkata. When a new product is released, all the old products are also on sale. Along with other communication services, telegram service also can continue. There is no separate expenditure for he same.

It is a heritage service and accommodated in heritage buildings in the big cities. CTO buildings in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata etc. are heritage buildings, which have to be maintained as such. Lakhs and lakhs of documents connected with the history of the Mughal, British rule etc. are there in the old documents of the telegraph offices. Just like Western Court building in Delhi is occupied by a hotel, there are proposals to turn these heritage buildings also in to such posh hotels. You can see that many of the historic palaces have already been converted in to hotels.

The BSNL employees are completely against the closure of the telegram services. They have already strongly protested against the decision. Their unions have not been even consulted before taking such a drastic decision.

Today, as per the call of the BSNL Employees Unions, protest dharnas are being held at the SSA/Circle levels as also in front of the BSNL Corporate Office in Delhi. A PLI case has been filed in the Chennai High Court against closure of telegram services and may be heard today. It can only be said that the BSNL management has taken an unwise anti-people decision as also without taking in to confidence of the unions, which are trying to improve the services and make the company financially viable.

The BSNL Management should revisit their decision and drop the decision to close the telegram services  in the interest of the people and the company itself.

The BSNL Management should back out from this controversial and anti-people measure.

 

Closure of Telegram Services opposed

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, Uncategorized

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I express my strong protest against the decision of BSNL to close the telegram services. BSNL has issued orders stating that the telegram services will be closed with effect from 15th July 2013.

This decision has been taken by the management without discussing with the recognised unions. Telegraph Services were started in India by the British in 1850. On 5th November, the first message went between Diamond harbour and Calcutta.First  it was only for use of the government and later extended to the people. Telegraph was the fastest mode of communications till the telephones services started in the 1930s. Still telegraphs continued as a major method of communication.

The Central Telegraph Offices in Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Madras etc. employed hundreds of Telegraphists, Telegraph Clerks and Telgraphmen on duty round  the clock. It was not  much different in other cities. The cut-cut-cud-cut of the telegraph machines filled the Instrument Rooms. The traffic was so busy that sometimes the staff have to forego even tea-break.

Of course, everything has changed during the last two decades. 90% of the telegrams have been reduced. Now it is being used in the rural areas, by the military and military personnel, some banks, medical rpresentatives and by some others for legal and record purposes etc.

BSNL management might have issued the order  to reduce its losses being incurred for running the services. Nobody will deny that justification. BUt as in the case of loss making telephone services in the rural areas, the telegram service also has to be maintained. Further, before taking such a drastic action as closing the service completely, the recognised unions of the employees have not even been consulted. The Management also should have considered the people who are still using the telegram services. Telegraph is to be treated as a Heritage service and maintained at least in the District HQrs as at present.

I express my strong protest against this closure of one of the earliest service in the country. The BSNL Management should urgently discuss the matter with the unions/associations so that the issue is solved in an amicable way.