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| Justice denied to BSNL STD, PCO holders | | | ASHUTOSH SHARMA
JAMMU | JAN 20
Injustice is being inflicted upon the STD, PCO holders by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) who shared shoulders with the department to bring telecom revolution in the state by transmitting the technology to every nook and corner of the state but the mobile insurgency and step motherly treatment of BSNL with them has been causing heavy losses to their business.
As per the information, 49 STD, PCO holders in Jammu and 2 in Kathua have been approved as Franchisee by the head office of BSNL, (with-out allowing them to appoint sub franchisee or retailers.) to sell Sim cards, Top ups and recharge coupons etc .But the BSNL authorities are not giving them financial benefits at par with the other franchises in the province. On the one hand three franchisee Mahavir Radios and Electronics in Jammu and Pankaj Electronics in Kathua are getting 5% commission on the sale of recharge coupons, Top ups and Sim cards but the STD, PCO Booth holders on the other hand are getting only 3% commission equivalent to that of retailers. While talking to the Early Times, Swaran Dass, President J&K STD, PCO Association said that with the usher of mobile phones era we have suffered economic losses, but despite declared as franchisee by the corporate office of BSNL we are treated as retailer so far as our economic rights as well as economic benefits are concerned.
He further added that the other franchisee have further appointed general merchants as retailers who are entertained at par with us, which has also hampered our business. Now it is really hard to earn livelihood from this profession, he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Telecommunication Department closed the five thousand five hundred STD, PCO booths in the state of Jammu and Kashmir from January 1 to march 28, 2001 due to security reasons and at that point of time the Chief General Manager (Telecom), J&K had explained to the PCO and STD holders that Government of India will pay the compensation to all of them against the closure of their business for five months, but till now they have not got even a single penny in the name of compensation.
When BSNL's PRO SK Maldar was contacted over the phone he stayed it for the corporate laws of BSNL which are implemented through out the country, so far as the question of commission is concerned he said that there are different categories in the franchisees also. Speaking about the compensation he said that the booths were shut down on the directives of Defence ministry of India and yet they have not got any information regarding compensation from the government of India. |
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