Tender mercies

Management experts will tell you that a loss-making company requires a nimble organisation, especially when it operates in a competitive market. But here’s a reason state-owned MTNL, the hugely overstaffed telecom service provider in Delhi and Mumbai with losses of over Rs 2,800 crore, may be challenged in that respect. It’s the age-old public sector tendering system. Among a long list of tenders on its website, the top one is for “modifications in toilet at R o [residence of] CMD MTNL House 8 Raisina Road New Delhi”. Talk about legacy issues!