Even as the Union Government has listed for sale real estate assets of State-run telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), it is also considering assets owned by the BSNL in Kerala for sale in the next phase of the asset monetisation plan. According to BSNL sources, consultants contracted by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) had visited the State last week to assess the land to be put up for sale.
In capital city
They had visited the BSNL Regional Telecom Training Centre (RTTC) located near Kaimanam in Thiruvananthapuram, which was considered by the department for a monetisation plan two years ago. Of the 29-acre land, 9.88 acres were then marked as sparable. On Saturday, BSNL properties in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Bhavnagar, and Kolkata were posted for sale at a reserve price of about ₹660 crore. The asset monetisation plan is said to be part of the ₹69,000-crore revival scheme for the BSNL and the MTNL, which the Union Government had announced in October 2019.
Though the BSNL employees unions were not very keen earlier on asset monetisation plans, the drastic reduction in the staff strength in the Kerala circle immediately after the VRS package in January last year seems to have brought about a change in their stand. In April last year, the BSNL’s Kerala circle had offered its buildings on rent to Central and State government departments, public sector units, banks and other financial institutions, a move which the unions had supported.
Doubts on purpose
“The Government had earlier announced the asset monetisation plans as part of the revival package. But our concern now is that the DIPAM is implementing the process. We are not sure whether the money so raised would come back to the BSNL and used for its revival, or used by the Government for other purposes. If the BSNL was doing it directly, there would have been no such concern. More assets of the BSNL in the State could be considered for monetisation since the staff strength has reduced considerably,” says a union leader.
No 4G yet
Meanwhile, the major promises in the revival package, especially the permission for the BSNL to provide 4G services, still remain unfulfilled. Even after almost six years of private companies being provided permission for 4G services, the Government has not allowed the BSNL to enter this sector.
