----------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help others be better informed CONSUMERS. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC) Email: [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moves afoot to scrap BSNL's Telecom Advisory Committees -------------------------------------------------------------- In a move that could have an impact on telecom services provided by the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, moves are reportedly afoot to scrap the Telecom Advisory Committees (TAC) all over the nation. The CMD of BSNL has reportedly called for a report from BSNL’s circle heads (Chief General Managers) and has sought details of existing TAC’s, expenditure incurred on them including individually (TA/DA, free phone connection, etc), date of its constitution and tenures.
According to the Goa telecom website, the last TAC committee of Goa telecom district was with 18 members, which included 3 sitting and 2 ex-MPs (appointed for the period from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008). The TAC committee consisted of Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, North Goa MP Shripad Naik, PWD Minister Churchill Alemao, former MP John Fernandes, Victor Diniz (Quepem), Gurudas Bhalchandra Natekar (Mapusa), Artur Sequira (Dona Paula), Altinho Gomes (Cuncolim), Madhav Manohar Dhond (Panjim), Dattaprasad Kholkar (Mapusa), Govind Parvatkar (Porvorim), Manohar Chandru Adpaikar (Ponda), Urmila Lotlikar (Ponda), Joaquim De Costa (Colva), Agnelo Fernandes (Benaulim), Fredrick Socorro Borges (Assolna) and Joe Francisco Rebello (Benaulim). It is reportedly learnt that responding to the demand made by staff union at New Delhi, BSNL’s Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) sought the details of TAC’s from all circle heads in an apparent move to prepare ‘a case’ to be forwarded to Department of Telecommunications (DOT) for discontinuing the existing practice of TACs in BSNL (now an public sector undertaking). The practice of having TAC’s at each telecom district was started to improve the customer-management relationship, way-back when telecommunications were the sole proprietary concern of DOT. With the telecom sector now thrown open to private players as well, BSNL is the only service provider which continues to have TAC’s, while others (telecom service providers) doesn’t have such provisions, reportedly drawing/inviting suggestions from staff unions to scrap the practice in BSNL. -------------------------------------- HERALD 27/5/09 page 4 -------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ---------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ---------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------
