Asserting that it was forced to pay a whopping Rs 18,500 crore for 3G and broadband spectrum, the employees associations of BSNL today asked the government to refund the money and threatened to go on strike if the demand was not met.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), represented by three lakh executives and non-executives of BSNL, has called a convention on Monday, demanding the refund of the spectrum money, as well as exempting the PSU from paying license fee on fixed lines, among other concessions.
According to them, BSNL was not given the option to bid and choose circles of its choice like other private players. Rather, it was given spectrum for all the circles barring Delhi and Mumbai (where another PSU, MTNL, got the radio waves) and asked to match the winning bid.
The union is likely to call for a three-day sit-out strike from September 21 to register their protest in case the government fails to resolve the issues. They will go on an indefinite strike in case the government fails to meet their demands in totality within a reasonable timeframe.
“BSNL has been arbitrarily forced to pay on 3G and BWA airwaves in total contravention of the provisions envisaged in National Telecom Policy, 1999.
“Blatant discrimination meted out by insensitive and indifferent bureaucracy in DoT to BSNL by depriving it of legitimate opportunity to bid for choice of circles of commercial potential deserves strongest condemnation,” representatives from the Sanchar Nigam Executive Association (SNEA), an executive association of BSNL, told PTI.