BSNL has decided a float a fresh tender for about 65 -75 million GSM lines within the next two months in a bid to ensure that its expansion plans which have been derailed are back on track. The BSNL’s management’s decision comes even as in a related development, employee unions and the officers staff associations of the PSU on Wednesday decided to defer their decision to go on an indefinite strike until September 1.
The new tender would be similar to the earlier tender for 45.5 million lines: “The clauses and conditions are likely to be similar to the earlier—this will save the PSU the it takes to draft a fresh tender document. The new tender will also stipulate that about 50% of the lines be GSM-enabled,†. The equipment orders for the new tender are likely to be finalised by the year-end, sources added.
Meanwhile, the unions have also decided to launch a nation-wide campaign on three key issues—increasing the tender size to its original size of 45.5 million lines from 23 million at present, awarding the “navaratna†status for the PSU, and asking the government to come out with a blueprint which specifies the steps the Centre would take to ensure BSNL’s financial stability.
Addressing all unions during the joint meeting on Wednesday, the joint convenor of BSNL and MTNL employees forum V A N Namboodiri said: “We will not go in for a strike now, but have decided to postpone the earlier plan. Instead, we will launch a nationwide campaign to highlight the important issues. We hope our demands will be met. We will also have a national convention in Delhi soon and all members from across the country will attend.â€
“Mr Raja has assured us that he will try to restore the size of the tender to 45.5 million. We will use the month of August to monitor all his assurances, but at the same time, we will also organise several nation and state-wide conventions to prepare for a full-fledged strike if the minister were to go back on his word. We have not given up our call for a nation-wide strike to get things back on track,†another union leader told.
BSNL employees unions and its officers’ associations had earlier planned to go on an indefinite strike to protest the PSU’s board’s decision to halve the tender size from 45.5 million lines initially, in line with the wishes of Mr Raja. The unions wanted the PSU to award the contract for 45.5 million as was envisaged in the initial tender. The BSNL unions wanted an explanation from both the PSU’s management and also Mr Raja on the logic of linking the 3G component of the tender to the 3G policy. This is because, BSNL while placing advanced purchase orders for 17.5 million lines (of which 14 million lines will be 2G), had said that the final orders for the remaining 3.5 million will only be placed after the 3G policy is announced and the spectrum for it is made available. The unions shared the view that since the networks of private players are being made ready for 3G, BSNL’s move put off the purchase orders for 3G lines was illogical.