BSNL’s fat cows sitting in air conditioned buildings drawing massive paychecks but keeping their eyes blinded with poor service from Dharmanagar to Sabroom ? Every month fiber cuts, service interruptions causing even many Banks to Govt departments denying services hapless customers.

TIWN correspondent visited UCO Bank, SBI branch nearby Melarmath where Banking services halted due to no internet connectivity.

Same picture in Belonia to Sabroom where from DM office to Banks suffering from poor internet connectivity.

So question arises why such poor service even after high speed 10Gbps internet gateway available in Agartala ?

Customers want the BSNL authority to improve service in true sense or else withdraw its service from the state. Poor network service of BSNL and GPRS in the state has left subscribers high and dry.

If BSNL network is poor in the capital town, then one can easily understand what kind of service it is offering to people living in rural areas like Chandipur, Ganganagar, Raishyabari, Chawamanu and Karbook in the name of Connecting India, a much-hyped promotional slogan of BSNL. 

Not only mobile service, BSNL’s much-hyped FTH service is far behind from the expecting even as it is collecting money from the customers. Take instance of a FTH connection (297-0015) which remains dormant most of the days in a week despite repeated requests by the customers. 

Within last 1 year, a huge number of customers had disconnected their BSNL connection willingly. Most surprisingly, without giving any notice, BSNL deducts balance from the accounts of prepaid customers. Though complaints were reported for several times with the local Customer Care Centre, but, they did not get any response. Also, allegations were raised, various services get activated itself and balance gets deducted too. BSNL service is very poor considering its wide range of customers. 

Resentment brewed among the BSNL customers over the unsatisfactory service of BSNL and hence, they are going for disconnection and switching over to other cellular companies. Amid growing resentment among BSNL customers in the mountainous state, newly posted General Manager, Tripura SSA J. Rabikumar has started inspecting different offices to get feedback. 

State government had always been in favour of upgradation of the service, the official said. Currently BSNL has 89 telephone exchanges across the state with at least 2.86 lakh consumers.

Tripura assembly recently also lashed out at the BSNL authorities for frequent disruption in services and said that trade and commerce, work in government offices and services in the educational institutions were suffering because of inefficient network.

One AGM level BSNL official in this regard had clarified that the authority is looking into the matter and are on a move to intensify the network services in the state. The official said, “The BSNL has come up to intensify the telecommunication service in the north eastern states including the land-locked state of Tripura.”

On paper, BSNL had broadened its service in different parts of the state and are currently putting its hard effort to provide GSM-powered services as well, he said. “We had already talked to the state government here, taking the stock of the situation and several meetings were held in this regard.”

The official wished not to mention name said that there are many gaps found in the capital city here due to some private firms which had intensified their services here, but despite all odds the BSNL is also putting its best effort to improve the service.

Besides, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has inked an agreement with Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd (BSCCL) to improve Internet connectivity in India’s northeast region.

As per the agreement the BSNL will provide international bandwidth for Internet from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to Agartala, while the BSCCL will provide the international port (IP) transit service from Cox’s Bazar Cable Landing Station. The official said, “The work for laying the optical fibres in Agartala part is currently under progress.”

The Bangladesh Telecommunications Company has to lay optical fibre cable (OFC) of the 30 km approximate distance from Brahmanbaria to Akhaura, which adjoins India’s Tripura, while the BSNL will set up international long distance (ILD) gateway at Agartala along with associated equipment.

Customers are not sure when BSNL’s poor service in Tripura will be improved ?

Narendra Modi’s plan for privatization of Railways, Air India, BSNL likely to happen in near future.

Tripura Infoway calls for privatization of BSNL and mass elimination of thousands of unnecessary posts which itself a waste of public money as these fat cows babudom doing no good for nation.