Overburdened with loss BSNL to take legal action on recovery drive

Mukesh Sharma; Kalimpong, September 4 BSNL Department, Siliguri has announced to follow up with legal actions and to set up a recovery camps for the collection of pending landlines bills over Rs 10 crores in the Hills. The Siliguri Brach Assistant General Manager A Dakua said that more than Rs 10 crores bills are unpaid. Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, that party that rules the present administrative body of Darjeeling hills Gorkhaland Territorial Administration had called for a Bill Boycott call in 2008 as a part of their movement. 

That caused a heavy accumulation of pending bills in the hills he added. After the singing of the GTA agreement between the State, Centre and the GJM, many of the taxes falling under the State’s jurisdiction were relaxed but the BSNL which is associated with the Centre, till date there has been no declaration on the same, though the GJM has been demanding for it. 

Following the same all the landline connection in the Hills were cut off and few have the landline today in the Hills said the AGM. He also said that it is not only the bill which remained unpaid during the agitation but the bills before and after the agitation too. Out of total 46,000 land lines, near 10,000 are from Hills.

 BSNL authority has announced schedule of a series of bill recover camps. "Anyone willing to clear up his pending bills in these camps will be offered 10% to 50% waiver depending upon individual case," said Dakua. On the other hand the GJM Spokesperson also the Kalimpong MLA Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri who is now in Kolkata, taking over the phone on the issue, said that earlier they had talks with the then Home Minister P Chidambaram for the relaxation of the bills. The GJM Central Committee meeting is on Thursday which will discuss concerning the issue and come out with conclusion. The people will not get troubled and the GJM will discuss on the matter with the Central leaders he added.