Rajya Sabha members vent fury over BSNL services

New Delhi: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Thursday faced a barrage of criticism from members of the Rajya Sabha, including those from the BJP, for issues like poor connectivity and failure to upgrade to the latest technology.

Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad assured the House that things will be set right soon but met with limited success in convincing the MPs.

Congress leader PL Punia had raised a supplementary query during the Question Hour about BSNL services being stopped in villages in Niti Valley on the Indo-China border since May 13. He said this has affected not just the locals but also the security forces deployed there. ISRO wing Antriksh had later suggested BSNL to move to GSAT-18 satellite from NSS-6 but the firm has not taken any step so far.

Prasad said that satellite phone service is provided in Niti Valley and reconfiguration from one satellite to another takes around 10 months to one year and is an expensive move. “I am personally looking into this issue and soon all 496 villages located on the borders, including those in the Niti Valley, will be linked to the MSAT satellite,” he said.