Al Ngullie
November 1
KOHIMA (MExN): The Baharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) the only telecommunication service provider in Nagaland is going to be privatized within this year according to reliable sources. The Central Government is understood to have arrived at an agreement with a certain Multi-National Company to take charge of the telecom giant soon after the necessaries modalities are done with. These “modalities” would include absorption of all existing engineers and technical staff on quota basis while a majority of the present employees are reportedly to be “dropped” as surplus workforce, according to reliable sources.
This would mean the quota for Nagaland would be “downsized” or “shifted to non-feasible working staff” sources told The Morung Express.
Meanwhile the North East Students Organization (NESO) has decided to launch its second phase of agitation in the form of total picketing of BSNL offices in response against the telecom giant’s unresponsiveness to the student body’s charter of demands.
The NESO represented by NSN Lotha General Secretary told media persons at a press conference held here today at the NSF office that the second phase of agitation, scheduled for November 9, was being launched on the pending demands forwarded to the BSNL as well as for the proposed privatization of the said telecommunication corporation. The initial stage of the agitation would be concentrated only in Dimapur and would be spearheaded by the Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU).
“This time we are very determined to go ahead until all our demands are met. We are going to intensify the agitation” NSN Lotha said referring to the charter of demands including 100% job reservation for locals, improvement of telecommunication services of the BSNL in the NE apart from others. The NESO took strong exception to the decision of the Government of India to privatize BSNL to a Multi-National Company (MNC) excepting the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The General Secretary referring to the reasons given by authorities that the privatization was excluding J&K ‘since it was a politically disturbed state’ strongly questioned if J&K should be excluded from the preview why the North East, particularly Nagaland, could not be. “Privatization would mean exploitation of the people by multi-nations since they are interested only in commercial gains” he said.
Reminding the government that the Northeast was considered a distinct economic zone due to its topography, culture and consistent political unrest, the NESO demanded that the NE and J&K be excluded from the purview of the privatization move so as to deter exploitation of the people by profit-hungry multi-national concerns. The organization in no uncertain terms warned that the central leaders would be held solely responsible if mass unrest begins in the NE as a result of such alienation policy like the privatization of BSNL.
