New Delhi: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his urgent intervention for the appointment of a regular CMD of BSNL and an end to the additional-charge arrangement that has continued for over two years.
The RSS-affiliated labour union said BSNL requires stable, accountable and rule-based leadership through a regularly selected chairman and managing director (CMD).
In a letter to the prime minister, Ashok Kumar, All India Secretary and Prabhari Telecom of the BMS, urged him to direct the Department of Telecommunications to ensure immediate completion of the process for appointment of a regular CMD for BSNL without any further extension to the incumbent.
The BMS also urged Modi to direct the department to conduct an objective review of major administrative, HR, operational and project decisions taken during the prolonged additional-charge tenure, particularly cancellation or re-floating of tenders and decisions having significant financial or operational implications.
The BMS said A Robert Jerard Ravi was entrusted with the additional charge of CMD, BSNL, with effect from July 15, 2024, and the arrangement has since been extended from time to time.
This arrangement has continued for more than two years despite the fact that this was intended to be only an interim measure for a brief period of three-six months normally, Kumar said in the letter.
An additional-charge arrangement should not have become an indirect means of continuing an officer in a post permanently and that too a person who was not even eligible to apply for the post even on the cut-off date for the current notification issued July 22, 2026, he said.
The BMS claimed that prior to being entrusted with the charge of CMD, Ravi had not headed even a small business area (BA) in any of the telecom circles in BSNL, yet he was chosen to head an organisation of the magnitude of BSNL.
At a time when BSNL is passing through a critical phase of revival, the organisation requires stable, accountable and rule-based leadership through a regularly selected CMD, rather than prolonged extensions of an additional-charge arrangement, Kumar said.
The BMS alleged that the professionalism required to propel BSNL towards growth is missing under the current leadership. It said BSNL had made substantial progress in regaining market share and profitability till June 2024 after the first revival package, but thereafter, the things have gone down substantially under the current regime.
The union said serious concerns have been raised over several decisions taken after July 2024, particularly those relating to project execution, IT systems, critical tenders, operational decision-making, transfers and postings, HR matters, career progression and grievance redressal.
Several tenders had reportedly been cancelled or short-closed without adequate justification, resulting in court cases and arbitration, while some procurements were being re-initiated at substantially higher financial implications, it said.
The procurement of 24F armoured optical fibre cable and IN equipment, among others, merits examination, the BMS said, adding that there was also growing concern that organisational decision-making in BSNL has been considerably weakened, with even functional board members facing restrictions in taking decisions pertaining to their respective verticals.
Similarly, discontinuation or pending decisions regarding AMC arrangements for critical data centres, non-utilisation of procured hardware, delayed procurement and contract decisions and frequent transfers of experienced officers were causing operational concerns, it said.
Decisions affecting critical IT and customer-facing infrastructure require timely technical assessment and continuity, particularly when BSNL is already engaged in a major revival and transformation exercise, it added.
On the HR front, the BMS said deviation from established policies and increasing reliance on discretionary interpretations had resulted in considerable employee dissatisfaction and multiple legal and grievance matters, including adverse judicial observations and costscontempt in certain cases individually against Ravi.
It said the continued pendency of issues such as standard pay scales, 30 per cent Superannuation Benefit (SAB), non-transparent transfer policy, lack of smooth career progression and absence of a proper promotion policy was also demoralising the workforce.
The BMS described BSNL as a national telecom asset responsible for fulfilling the government’s telecom objectives, including the Swadeshi 4G project, which it said has propelled India into the select league of five nations having their own indigenous 4G stack.
With its pan-India presence, the strong human capital consisting of around 52,000-plus workforce and the unparalleled support from government in the form of various revival packages, BSNL was envisaged to outperform the private operators. However, the market share deteriorated further, Kumar said.