BSNL has 38 million customers. It declared profits of 10, 000 crores.

It announced the much hyped One-India plan with a smiling idiot claiming “death of distance”;full page advertisements et al.

Someone must have been reading this blog where I trashed the idea of One India plan. It sounds great in theory but frankly, it works out to be very expensive in the long run.

As such, as the results are out, only 0.6% of BSNL’s customers have signed on. This is as per the estimates. The actual number may be far less. BSNL needs atleast 40% of the customer base to make it work. Yes, 40%.

Yeah Gods! Would someone just f***ing drill some sense in their brains? Or whatever version of hardware they carry on their necks?

The same argument can be extended on to broadband. There is no rush; equipment shortages has resulted in artificial scarcity. Further, the captive base is ready to leave it once greener pastures are in sight. I don’t see them around me as yet. However, I swear on whatever is above in the sky- I would be the first customer to leave them if and when I have an option.

Huge amounts of public funds are being wasted over to give some bragging rights. We are surely far away from the “Indian Telecom Dhamaka”. No one is rioting as yet; the NASSCOM claims ring hollow that it’s “literally raining Information Technolongy” in India; while India becomes a “back office space for the world (an euphemism for cyber coolies) we are glad to call that as an oppurtunity and assert our right on the world stage.

A computer here/ there or One India plan doesn’t make Indian Telecom happening. Service levels are all time low and there might be some hope that regulator might assert itself. While the gory Department of Telecom subsists on the dead corpses.

The same way the Marxists do.

When would we see some sanity?

I chanced on this story on IBN (mercifully without it’s famous spelling mistakes!) ( For more on this read here.)

They have highlighted a persons problem who was forced to cough up Rs 7.25 lakhs for local calls made in 2 months! The person in question tried every avenue and thence he took his problem to the media. The problem was solved immediately. What otherwise took 11 years. Because of pro active media. Thats why we need media to act as a watch dog. I won’t say that media ought to butt in to solve such cases like billing complaints, but surely can funnel people’s voices to make sure that the accountabilty sets in.

Anyway, I am posting across two screenshots of BSNL’s legendary perfidy. The gentleman in question is suffering from dire medical problems and I know him personally. Being wrecked by old age, he is not very mobile and is forced to stay on bed for extended spells.

He got an inflated bill (screen shot 1). He had to personally call the high up officials and explain it to them that the billing hassle be rectified. Despite so called assurances, there was no answer forthcoming. The gent in question told the high ups that he isn’t mobile because of his pressing and urgent medical problems; that he is incapacitated. Yet, there was no show of mercy from these officials.

After a threat of legal action and perhaps much boo boos later, the corrected bill was issued (roughly after 3 months). You can see the screenshot here. The difference is stark! The original bill amount was Rs 3000/- plus. This was reduced to Rs 600/- plus only!

Now, what do we make out of them. Despite claiming the fact that BSNL has an established Customer service, not everyone gets any redressal to the same effect. I have heard horror stories about people interacting with their staff; you would honestly want to give up in disgust. It is the same company that made a neat profit of Rs 10,000 crore. Yes, that was in the last fiscal. Yet, with such a profitable enterprise and it’s engaging in inflating bills.

( I have had to obscure the personal details in the screenshots to protect the identity of the person in question).

We need this to be highlighted in the media and perhaps force them to act.

One of the biggest hassles to deal with the opaque Government set up is the lack of acountability in the official structure. There is no incentive for them to perform or listen and act on consumer grievances.

Over the period of time, this blog has degenerated in a BIG howler against BSNL and their refusal to get in new plans based on usage. I am feeling angry at my helplessness, at a feeling of inadequacy to effect a change and the way these people take ordinary consumers for granted. I believe that there is no more scope for any more write up’s on them. Everyone knows about them; the media knows about them but they are keeping a lid on their traps because it’s no one’s business. While we gloat and put up our sorry asses for the world claiming broadband India with “millions of customers”, no one bothers to look beyond the “sheen”.

If this isn’t monumental stupidity and assholism, then what else is? If the same bunch of people aren’t bothered about endemic corruption breeding in friggin pakis and parasites in their own ranks, then what else would wake them up? We seek answers.

It’s the law of karma that they should fear. If not today, by tomorrow their sins would catch up with them for sure. There is no report card issued to them, no parameters to measure the performance and absolutely no accountability.

Well, it seems that unlimited plans are on hold for the time being; the only official communication recieved from BSNL suggests:

Wishing you a high speed, disconnection free, jitter free broadband experience.

WTF?