Editor
The news item on BSNL (ST Aug 4, 2011) was read by us. We would like to inform that articles like the one in your esteemed newspaper are taken very seriously by us.
The reporter says that GMTD, G S Marshall `did not pick up the mobile. I wish to inform that I was on tour from 2nd Aug to 6th Aug 2011. The area that I was touring was in a remote part of Garo Hills where signal is not easily available. Hence it not picking up my mobile was not intentional
Regarding mobile and broadband services for the last six months, this department has been greatly affected by the road widening activities taking place in many areas of Meghalaya. It should be noted that our optical fibre cables were buried by side of the road more than a decade ago. Today due to road widening activities, the OFC carrying mobile, broadband and landline traffic are being cut indiscriminately by giant earth movers (JCB) and entire telecom traffic gets disrupted. We have taken this up in many forums. However we are not in a position to protect our cables with so many different contractors doing the road widening activities. While our cables are getting extensively cut, in city of Shillong almost on a daily basis our copper cables buried underground are being stolen and services are getting disrupted for long periods of time. Sometimes as many as three different cables in different localities are stolen and we have filed around 15 FIRs with the police requesting them to catch the culprit so that services are not disrupted.
Your reporter says that BSNL network is not available in Rynjah & Nongthymmai area. We had planned a mobile tower at Nongrim Hills which would also cater to this area. The tower erection started about a year ago. However the local headman stopped the work saying it will increase radiation. It is surprising that there are so many towers belonging to other operators that have come up so why is our particular tower prevented from being erected. For mobile services, mobile towers are essential to be spread evenly all over the city. When a particular tower is stopped for unknown reasons, then the services will suffer. BSNL being a Government operator has taken all measures to radiate the towers by taking all safety norms and adhering to government standards. In order to complete this tower, BSNL authorities have taken up the case with Hon’ble Minister of Education Smti Ampareen Lyngdoh and requested her to help us to complete the tower. We shall wait for her reply so that customers in this area can use the services. Similarly there are one or two places in Shillong city where we require sites which are presently not available and we are in the process of convincing authorities so that these towers can be installed and coverage can improve. We are extremely thankful to the state government for allowing us to use the MeECL fibre because as previously mentioned, our fibre is getting cut due to Guwahati-Shillong road widening. With the availability of MeECL fibre our services are bound to improve. Efforts are being made to strengthen the mobile services and also broadband services and customers will note that broadband services have improved in last couple of months due to some of the activities mentioned. It is our duty to ensure that BSNL provides good services to Shillong and also rural areas of Meghalaya.
Yours etc.,
G S Marshal
GMTD, Shillong
More at home, abroad?
Editor,
Recently newspapers have reported that some of our legislators are visiting Geneva, some are going or have gone to Canada and London spending a huge amount of money for, we are told, study tours so that on their return they will be able to implement measures that will improve our State. Has any of them though, given a thought to the school teachers who have not been paid since March this year? If the state has money to fund such trips surely the welfare of our teachers should come first when funds are allocated? We wonder what the minister for education has to say?
Yours etc.,
DM Pariat,
Shillong-3
Will law take its course?
Editor,
This is to bring to your notice, that days after the dangerous fire that almost destroyed the Shillong Banking Corporation building (opp to MTC) which houses a number of shops including a book stall, a hotel and a medicine store, I have heard that the café responsible for the fire will continue functioning in the same building again.
The fire that caused damage to property worth lakhs of rupees was caused due to illegal bottling of gas to commercial cylinder from domestic cylinder (reported in your paper). It posed a life threat to not only the shop-owners but also to their customers, injuring many.
This does not seem to have concerned the authorities, who turned a blind eye to the imminent danger & fire hazards, to continue operation of the café, in the same manner. As a responsible citizen of Shillong, I find it my duty to direct the attention of the people of Shillong and the concerned authorities to this extremely dangerous situation.
Yours etc.,
DM Kharbamon
Via email