Prasad asks BSNL to improve services in border & naxal areas

Govt says it is committed to reviving BSNL, is taking initiatives to bring it back to the position of market leader

Minister for IT and Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked state-run telecom player BSNL to improve quality of services, especially in border and naxal-affected areas.

The government is committed to reviving BSNL and is taking numbers of initiatives to bring the PSU back to the position of market leader, according to a government statement. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will explore the possibility of setting up a dedicated cell in BSNL to monitor effectiveness of its network in border areas and also in areas badly affected by extremism, the statement said.

Prasad met MPs from Bihar, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland yesterday. The meeting was part of a series of meetings planned to make telecom officials directly answerable to Parliamentary representatives so as to have a first-hand account of public sectors performance, problems faced and possible solutions. In the first meeting, MPs from Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and North Eastern States participated. The minister also directed DoT to call five such meetings so that all Members of Parliament are given opportunity to raise issues directly with officials concerned.