Joint students’ delegation submit charter of demand
Al Ngullie
September 23
DIMAPUR (MExN): The North East Students Organization (NESO), the Naga Students Federation (NSF) and the Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU) regretting the discrimination meted out to Cellular consumers from the North East by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) demanded that the cellular service giant declare and produce its latest employment statistics clearly indicating the name of the employee, terms of employment whether directly appointed or through interviews, domicile/residential status considerations etc. It demanded hundred percent job guarantees for the indigenous people of NE in the Group C and D categories and that they should also be given first preference in the Group A and B categories. It demanded that prompt action be undertaken on this account within 14 days from the submission of the memorandum. The Charter was submitted to the General Manager of BSNL later in the evening itself.
The organizations taking note of the grievances of the NE consumers in regard to exorbitant deposit-demands, false billing system, network failures, and ‘untold’ network interruption sought immediate explanation on the complaints pertinent to the aforementioned ‘shortcomings’. Obviously exasperated, the student leaders while demanding that both Post-paid and Pre-Paid systems should have unlimited roaming facilities like any other cellular services in the country, said that “the ever unending ‘Network Busy’ must also be immediately rectified.” While calling for immediate attention to strengthening and improving Wireless Local loop (WLL) to benefit the poor villagers, the students also demanded that a Public Grievances Cell be set up to cater to the needs and speedy disposal of complaints of customers. All these demands have been produced to be responded to within 14 days from the submission of the same.
“North East gets the worst Cellular Services in India and in the North East Nagaland gets the worst cellular services” NSN Lotha, General Secretary (NESO) told The Morung Express. Lotha also lamented that although the BSNL was technically competent to provide proficient cellular services, it was exploiting consumers by providing deficient and pitiable services by waylaying employment opportunities and exploiting billing procedures. It must be mentioned states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Karnataka where the BSNL operates its services, are provided SPS where students are eligible to avail certain concessions and special privileges in regard to cell services. Plan-40 scheme a scheme for lower monthly billing is also operated in Punjab, Karnataka, Haryana, Kolkota etc. while in the North East neither of the two has been introduced even though the two are included in the consumer service endowment of the BSNL.
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