Even as the Union government gears to give the iconic
telegram service a grand farewell on July 15, BSNL employees have
condemned the move, arguing that it is still being used by government
departments and organisations and those in rural and remote areas.
Rejecting
BSNL’s contention that mounting losses made the service unsustainable,
unions have urged Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal to try to make it
profitable. “It is a valued service and should be kept as a skeleton
service and preserved as a heritage,” says the Forum of BSNL
Unions/Associations, which represents more than 2.5 lakh employees of
the state telecom major.
‘Most authentic’
“Even
after the introduction of… Internet, STD and e-mail, telegrams are
still used by military personnel for official use and also for
contacting their families from remote locations… Many banks and State
governments are still utilising the service. Telegrams are also treated
as most authentic… in legal matters and official records. At least,
minimum service should be maintained in the interests of the people who
are still using it,” Forum convener V.A.N. Namboodiri has said. He urged
Mr. Sibal to hold discussions with unions before taking a final
decision.
Mr. Sibal has said the telegram service
will get a “ceremonial farewell.” “We will bid it a very warm farewell,
and maybe the last telegram sent should be a museum piece. That is the
way in which we can bid it a warm farewell,” he said on Thursday.
In
India, the first telegraph message was transmitted live between
Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Diamond Harbour, a distance of 50 km, on
November 5, 1850; and the service was opened for the public in February
1855. Over the years, BSNL made several upgrades, the latest being the
web-based messaging system introduced in 2010.
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