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100 ITS OFFICERS REPATRIATED TO DOT/CCA FROM BSNL- WHETHER IT IS FINAL OR A DRAMA AGAIN?

It is understood that 100  unabsorbed ITS officers, who are on deputation to BSNL, have now been transferred/repatriated to DOT and posted in CCA, on the basis of the Delhi High Court directive and consequent decision of BSNL C.O. One of the demands of the Forum has been that the unabsorbed ITS officers should be repatriated to DOT, if they are not willing to get absorbed in BSNL. BSNLEU, SNEA and AIBSNLEA had approached the Delhi High Court in this respect.

78.2% IDA MERGER- DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE STILL PROCESSING.

COM.K.G.JAYARAJ, GENERAL SECRETARY HAS CONTACTED THE DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE TODAY, THE 24TH JULY, 2015. AS THE HIGHER OFFICERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE HE SPOKE TO THE CONCERNED UNDER SECRETARY WHO TOLD HIM THAT THE FILE IS PUT UP TO THE JOINT SECRETARY AND BEING CONSIDERED. WHEN GENERAL SECRETARY POINTED OUT THAT THE ISSUE HAS GOT DELAYED TOO MUCH AND THE PENSIONERS HAVE BECOME RESTIVE,THE UNDER SECRETARY REPLIED THAT HE EXPECTED THE FILE BACK ON 27TH OR 28TH JULY.

GLOBAL MOBILE DATA TRAFFIC TO GROW 59 PER CENT IN 2015.


NEW DELHI: Global mobile data traffic is set to reach 52 million terabytes (TB) in 2015, an increase of 59 per cent from 2014, research firm Gartner today said.

The rapid growth is set to continue through 2018, when mobile data levels are estimated to reach 173 million TB, Gartner said in a statement.

“Mobile data traffic is soaring worldwide, more than tripling by 2018. New, fast mobile data connections (3G and 4G) will grow more slowly, from 3.8 billion in 2015 to 5.1 billion in 2018, as users switch from slower 2G connections and consume more mobile data,” Gartner Research Director Jessica Ekholm said.

Communication service providers (CSPs) must create and sell data plans with higher caps to increase their share of this growing market.

“With video usage as a percentage of total data usage set to rise from 50 per cent now to 60 per cent by 2018, we should expect CSPs to offer the best-of-breed video experience to consumers,” Ekholm said.

This involves using video optimisation technologies and caching content closer to the consumer, she added.

“Contract plans that single out video traffic to allow users to reach a certain cap (without touching their contract data cap) will increase usage and revenue for CSPs and meet consumer demand for more mobile video,” Ekholm said.

( Courtesy: Economic Times)

TRAI LIKELY TO ABSOLVE TELECOS FOR RISE IN CALL DROPS.


NEW DELHI: The telecom regulator appears to have absolved telecom companies for the increasing instances of call drops, citing instead radiation fears and local laws as the biggest reasons carriers are unable to put up adequate cell sites, which are key to providing quality services.

According to data collected by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in a random check, 523 sites in Delhi and 801 sites in Mumbai were shut down in the past six months due to ‘radiation scare’ even in areas where the affluent and educated live or issues with municipalities. As many as 25 towers are shut down each week in Mumbai over radiation fears, according to information with Trai, “How can we blame telecom operators for these? Sealing of one site can affect about four neighbouring sites, leading to rising incidence of call drops,” a senior Trai official told ET.

Instead of recommending ‘stiff penalties’ on telecom operators for call drops, as sought by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the regulator is likely to float a consultation paper on the matter to help find a holistic way to improve the quality of mobile services, the official added. The DoT had sought recommendations from the regulator for a penalty structure for deteriorating quality of services. Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has repeatedly pulled up mobile phone operators and asked them to “walk the extra mile” to improve services. The telecom department has even written to operators asking them to furnish steps taken to improve their networks by July 31. There are close to 400,000 telecom towers in India at present, of which 61% are located in the metros and Category A circles, according to a report by Deloitte. Indian tower emission standards are 10 times more stringent than in most other countries, Deloitte said.

The regulator carried out an assessment of mobile phone services provided by six operators in Delhi and Mumbai in June and July through an independent agency and found massive coverage gaps in their networks. “Most of the operators are not meeting the benchmarks of the networkrelated parameters,” according to the report. The telecom operators surveyed were Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone, Reliance Communications, Aircel and Tata Teleservices.

“They failed to achieve the benchmarks due to high block call rate, high drop call rate, low call setup success rate and poor quality,” the report said. On investigation, Trai found the biggest reason for deteriorating quality of service was the inability of telecom operators to proportionately increase the number of telecom towers. “Putting new towers is very difficult and landlords aren’t renewing their leases because of the radiation scare,” DS Rawat, managing director and CEO of Bharti Infratel, the tower arm of Bharti Airtel, told ET.

It wasn’t possible to impose penalty only on operators when the main fault lay elsewhere, a second official said. “We are discussing ways the operators can optimise their networks but there is only so much they can do,” the official said. Trai feels the telecom minister’s attempt to dispel fears regarding radiation and proposal to allow telecom companies to install towers on government buildings were steps in the right direction.

“One of the worst areas in Delhi was Moti Bagh, followed by Lodhi Road. We are told that even the most affluent and educated people fear radiation. It is a mindset issue,” the second official said, adding that there were other issues too.

(courtesy: Economic Times)

WEST BENGAL CIRCLE HELD THE RELAY HUNGER FAST WITH HUGE PARTICIPATION.

West Bengal Circle has conducted the Relay Hunger Fast on 22-23,July, 2015 due to some local inconveniences.The relay hunger fast was launched in two places, Kolkata CCA office participated by the 4 south district branches and GM office ,Siliguri by the north district branches.

 The fast started at 10AM on 22nd July before the CCA office and Com.Dilip Das Circle Vice President presided . Com.Susanta Ghosh, CHQ Vice President and Circle Secretary inaugurated explaining the demands in detail and the efforts taken by AIBDPA.Com.Pijush Chakraborty, ACS, Com.Amitava Chatterjee, ACS, BSNLEU, Com.Pankaj Saha, Circle Vice President, BSNL CMU, Com.Madan Ghosh, Dist Secretary, Suri, Com. Lakshmikant Bag, Dist Secretary,Purulia, Com.D.K.Lai, Dist Secretary, Bankura and Com. Anupam Saha, Dist Secretary, Kharagpur.

On the second day Com.Dipak Mitra, Circle President controlled the proceedings. Com.Susanta Ghosh, Circle Secretary, Com.Mridul Chatterjee, Dist Secretary,Asansol, Com. Amalendu Mukharjee, Vice President, Bardhman, Com.O.K.Banerjee, President,Durgapur, Com.Asoke Banerjee, Dist Secretary,Krishnanagar addressed. BSNLEU, West Bengal Circle came in a procession in solidarity of the struggling AIBDPA comrades. Com.Animesh Mitra( Circle Secretary,BSNLEU,West Bengal),Com.Tapas Ghosh (Circle Secretary,BSNL CMU-WB) and Com.Samir Nandy (BSNLEU,CGMT Office,WB) greeted.

A delegation consisting Coms.Susanta Ghosh, Pijush Chakraborty, Ajit Nandan and P.K.Nandi met the Deputy CCA in the absence of the CCA and submitted a memorandum containing the demands. Another memorandum for reinstatement of the retrenched casual mazdoors from the CCA office was also handed over.

An amount of Rs.12,000 was collected from the participants towards donation to the struggle aid fund of the casual mazddoors.

At Siliguri GM office,the Relay Hunger Fast was held on both days and Com.Bipul Chand Roy presided. Com.Ram Keder Yadav, ACS and Dist Secretary,Siliguri) inaugurated. Coms. Nilakanta Roy (DS,Lalpaiguri) Lalu Rai (DS,Gangtok) Moni Chetri (DS,Darjeeling) Samarendra Pathak (ADS, Coochbehar) and Nirmal Dey (DS,Malda) addressed

The mass participation of pensioners at both Kolkata and Siliguri was quite encouraging.

BAD LOANS (NPA) OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS REACHES Rs. 2.67 LAKH CRORE.

As per the reply given in the Parliament by Minister of State for Finance, Jayant Sinha, the NPA( Non-Performing Assets)or the bad loans of the Public Sector Banks have reached Rs. 2.67 lakh crore by the end of March 2015. Last year it was Rs. 2.16 lakh crore.

The interesting fact is that these bad loans are mostly loans taken by the big corporate and business houses and have not been repaid. Due to their influence on the government and political parties, strong action is not taken for recovery.

At the same time, extra-special efforts are being made to recover from the common people and legal action is taken. But not in the case of big guns. Even if some action is taken, they defend it with Senior Advocates, who manages to stop and delay action.

The Bank Unions have been demanding for the recovery of these bad loans from the big business and corporates, but without results.

TEMPORARY JOLT TO GOVERNMENT MOVE- LABOUR LAWS TO BE ENACTED AFTER APPROVAL OF TRIPARTIE BODY-ILC.

The 46th Indian Labour Conference held on 20- 21st July 2015 at New Delhi has decided that the labour laws to be enacted should be first approved by the tripartite body of Government, employers’ organisations and trade unions. The Labour Minister, Bandaru Dattathreya, who presided over the meeting stated that such tripartite conference will be held shortly.

In this scenario, the labour bills proposed by the government like Wage Code Bill, Small Factories Act, Industries Code Bill, Factories Act, Child Labour Bill etc. will have to be discussed in the tripartite body, before they are presented in the Parliament.

With regard to the increase in the Bonus, no decision could be taken due to the strong opposition from the employers.