We are reproducing the Editorial of “The Hindu” dated 23.11.2010 without
any comments.

JPC is an imperative

Insecurity,
unreasonableness ,and stubbornness tend to go hand in hand.Why else
should the

Congress-led government be dead set against allowing a
Joint Parliamentary Committe to try

and get to the bottom of the
2G spectrum scandal?With the report of the Comptroller and

Auditor
General of India exposing serious irregularities in the allocation of
2G

spectrum,resulting in staggering losses to the exchequer
,getting to the truth of what

happened has become a moral
imperative. While the Parliaments Public Accounts Committe

will
study the CAG report,this is no alternative to an empowered JPC that can
call for all

relevant records and summon Ministers,including the
Prime minister,for examination during

the course of its
enquiry.Moreover,it can probe the scandal in historical

perspective-against
he backdrop of telecom policy as it evolved,with twists and turns and

sometimes
carrying the stench of corrupton,over a decade and half.The governments

negative
response suggests a cover up.As it is evident from the observations of
the

Supreme court in the spectrum case,the Central Bueeau of
Investigation is not doing an

earnest job of investing the
matter.Nor will an enquiry by The Central Vigilance

Commission
carry conviction; the Supreme Court has questioned the appointment as
Central

Vigilance Commission of P J Thomas,who served as
Telecommunications Secretary during the

period of the scam and
has a charge sheeet pending against him.If,as the congress and the

Dravida
Munnetta Kazhakom insist,A Raja as communications Minister only
followed the 2G

spectrum allocation policy set by BJP led
National Democratic Alliance regimes,it is all

the more important
for a JPC to go back to the formulation of the National Telecom

Policy,1994
and enquire into everything of material relevance from then on.

An
empowered and well-staffed JPC has also become a political
imperative.The United

Progressive Alliance government faces a
crisis of credibility;Parliament has been rendered

dysfunctional;and
the image of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,a leader with a clean

personal
reputation,has taken a beating.If a JPC can work sincerely and in a
buisnesslike

way-on a day-to-day basis,more or less-all
significant facts relating to the 2G spectrum

allocation affair
can be placed before the people of India within the next two months.It

bears
recall that even the JPC set up to enquire into the Bofors
scandal,which nothing but

cover-upon its mind and was boycotted
by the Opposition,brought into public domain a mass

information
that proved invaluable to the Hindus investigation.That the BJP-led
govt.in

2001 did not concede the demand for JPC into the Thehelka
expose can be no justification

in the present situation.The
questions involved in the 2G scam are far too serious to be

allowed
to become part of the political tit for tat.

All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association will support to the the three day strike  on Dec 1to3 called upon by Joint action committe of BSNL unions/associations.The strike is necesssiated due to the negative and lukewarm attitude of the Central Govt.to the demands put forward by the Joint action committe and violation and non implimentation of the earlier agrements.The JAC has demanded efund of Rs.18500 crores levied from BSNL rather forcibly towards licence fees of 3G spectrum,desist from the calculated move of the Central Govt.to weaken and eliminate BSNL for the sake of privte telecom companies and immediate pension evision of pre-2007 retirees.
                  The pension revision issue,after several agitation by AIBDPA and the JAC was finally recommended by the five departments and submitted to the Central Cabinet for approval.It is learnt that the cabinet of 19.11.2010 has returned the file in this regard to the DOT on certain flimsy technical grounds.AIBDPA strongly protest against the delay tactis of the central Govt. and demand immediate settlement.
AIBDPA calls upon all the BSNL-DOT pensioners throughout the country to actively work in tandem with the JAC for the successful conduct of the three day strike and organise demonstration in front of important BSNL offices on all the three days of strike.

K G Jayaraj
General Secretary

BSNL Board declares that BSNL is cash negative from November, 2010. It is learnt that BSNL decides to borrow Rs 3,000 Crore  from finacial institutions to meet its expenditure on salary and other day to day operating expenditure  and another  Rs.11,000 Crore  for the next financial year 2011-12 to meet the  expenditure on salary and other  operating expenditure.

Since the implementation of the policies of Globallisation and Liberalisation,the telecom sector has become a gold mine for the big business houses.They have successfully used various telecom ministers to circumvent the rules for their personal gains. It started with Shuk Ram in 1995 when the National Telecom Policy was introduced. It was this policy which envisaged the participation of private operators in providing telecom serviices. Ever since then,,the nexus between big buisness houses and the mnisters is continuing and the public money is beng looted. Shuk Ram himself amassed huge wealth and became notorious in corrupton.

When Jagmohan became the telecom miniter,he fixed deadline for the private telecom operators to clear their license fee arrears. However, the private operators did not clear their license fee dues. What happened was Jagmohan was unceremoniously shunted out from the telecom ministry by the then Priime Minister, A..B.. Vajpayee.This highlighted the enormous clout that the big business houses have in the government.

When Pramod Mahajan was the telecom minister, he openly patronized the Relliance Communications. It was this Relliance Communicatiions which cheated BSNL in ADC.It manipulated incoming international calls as local calls and thereby cheated BSNL of hundreds of crores of rupees.Despiite this, Relliance Communications was in the good books of Pramod Mahajan.Finally a Public Interest Litigation was filed against Pramod Mahajan in the Supreme Court,alleging that he got financial  benefits from Relliance,for circumventing rules in favour of the latter.

Arun Shourie was also accused of favouring private telecom companies when he was the telecom minister during 2003-04. The latest to lose his jobon corruption charges is A. Raja.Off course,the volume of money involved in the 2G spectrum scam is very huge. It is the biggest scam that has ever taken place in independent India and is rightly called as the mother of all  scams.

It can be seen that ever since the implementation of the economic reforms,one affter another many scams have taken place in the telecom sector. Big business houses have loted huge amounts, in collusion with the ministers. However, none has so far been punished for these corruptions. At least in the 2G scam we hope that the cullprits will be brought to the books..

[Editorial – Telemessage, December]

 The Parliment march called by the JAC on Nov.15 was a grand success.Members of different unions/associations from all over the country participated in the march which started from Corporate office.Members of AIBDPA under the leadership of Gen.Secretary and other offfice bearers participated in the march.The march was stopped at Parliment police station,subsequently a huge meeting was conducted which was inagurated by Com.Basudev Acharya M P and leader of CPI(M)group in the Lok Sabha.Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri,(Convenor JAC),Com.P.Abhimanyu(Gen.Secy,BSNLEU)Com.Prahlad Rai(Gene.Secy,AIBSNLEA)Com.K Vallinayakam(FNTO)Com.G.L.Jogi(SNEA)Com.G Subramanyam(TEPU)Com.K.G.Jayaraj (Gen.Secy AIBDPA)and other leaders of the JAC spoke.The march was organised raising demnds to save BSNL and its employees.The leaders called upon all the members to make the Dec 1,2,3 strike a grand success.
 

JAC has served  Notice for Dec.1,2,3 strike raising  eleven demands to save BSNL and its employees, including the demand for early revision of pension of pre -2007 retirees.
Demands
1. Refund of Rs 18500 crores to BSNL paid to Government towards 3G and BWA Spectrum charges.
2. 78.2% IDA Merger for wage revision w.e.f 1-1-2007.
3. Immediate settlement of ITS Group A absorption issue.
4. No Disinvestment / IPO of BSNL.
5. No VRS
6. Procurement of adequate mobile equipments.
7. No unbundling of last mile copper cable.
8. Implement the Government’s commitments on financial viability of BSNL
at the time of corporatisation by continuing exemption from License Fee,
and continuation of ADC, USO Fund etc.,
9. Effective and expeditious implementation of programmes and projects like ERP, NGN etc. Immediate fool proof    measures  for smooth change over to CDR.
10. Government Departments and PSUs should be mandated to take telecom services from BSNL/MTNL only.
11. Revision of Pension on IDA along with wage revision. Immediate revision
of IDA pension of pre-2007 BSNL retirees.

Cannanore SSA (Kerala) donated Rs.12,000/ to CHQ as special donation.The amount was collected from the members who  retired after 1.1.2007 from their salary/pension arrears.

Members can now become subscribers of Tele Pensioner remitting Rs.100/ to the District Secretaries or directly sending money order to CHQ.Subscribers will receive the periodical at their residential address for three years.Enroll your name at the earliest.

Country wide Dharna was held on 27th October 2010 demanding early implementation of pension revision for pre-2007 retirees,enhancement of medical allowance to Rs.1000/-to DOT pensioners abandon the retrograde PFRDA bill,revision of medical allowance considering the increase in IDA,allotment of vacant BSNL quarters to the retirees,grant of Funeral allowance etc.

AIBDPA CHQ wish you and your family  a happy Diwali