This refers to “The real public sector” (May 31). The real reason for the loss of BSNL’s market share is the government’s policies and not a lack of opportunity. For many years, BSNL’s expansion order of 40 million lines for its GSM network has been held up in court cases or stuck because of the objections of various ministries.
The article clearly points out the anomaly. The entry of private telecom players is welcome because they have worked hard to improve teledensity. However, this has definitely come at a cost to Indian industry. No telecom equipment is manufactured in India and the nation is dependent on the majors in the western world.
Also, having a private operator does not mean that services are automatically ensured. There are a large number of foras where people recount their horrible experiences with their telecom operators; no one seems to be any better than the other.
The real public sector needs to be shored up and given operational freedom. Further, the PSUs need to shed their complacency and pull up their socks instead of relying on the taxpayers’ money alone.
Abhishek Puri, New Delhi
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