Subscribers of BSNL in Jamshedpur are having a tough time staying connected to their near and dear ones with both mobile and landline services deteriorating in and around the steel city, and prompting many to switch to other telecom giants.
Though hardcore BSNL loyalists have over the years learned to put up with beeps and blips that come with the state-owned service, the situation has gone from bad to worse in the past two days.
A familiar voice message - "All lines in this route are busy, please dial after sometime" - is greeting callers every time they dial a number from a BSNL landline or a mobile phone.
"I am fed up with the connectivity problems. For the past two days, I am not able to speak to anyone from my BSNL cellphone. Today (Monday), I took a new connection from a private service provider," said Ankita Mukherjee, a harried resident of Kagalnagar in Sonari.
Rahul Sharma, a Mango-based transporter, said that he was tired of listened to the same voice message over and over again on his landline. "I have switched to a private service provider as a temporary arrangement and am hoping that the BSNL line will be restored shortly," he added.
Sources said currently, BSNL's Jamshedpur secondary switching area (SSA) had 42,486 landline subscribers, 5,13,175 prepaid mobile connections and 12,714 postpaid connections across the three districts of Kolhan - East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan.
Despite enjoying such a huge subscriber base, the telecom giant has failed to ensure seamless services, causing chronic inconveniences.
BSNL chief general manager (Jamshedpur SSA) B.N. Singh could not be contacted.
But, a senior BSNL official cited digging work for an ongoing road widening project on NH-33, between Ranchi and Jamshedpur, as the reason behind poor connectivity.
"A problem has cropped up in the optical fibre cable (OFC) laid between Ranchi and Jamshedpur. Those engaged in the road widening work have damaged the underground cable, causing disruptions in connectivity," said Vinod Kumar, subdivisional officer, BSNL mobile services.
Kumar maintained that technicians of the telecom department were trying to locate the problem area. "Connectivity issues will be resolved as soon as the fault is detected and repaired."
But, no one in BSNL seemed to know for sure how long subscribers would have to put up with the dubious connectivity.
Both BSNL and its loyalists are forced to suffer inconveniences whenever civil projects are taken up in and around the city.
Insiders at BSNL's Jamshedpur circle revealed that there were provisions to claim compensation for the damages caused to optical cables during digging work for construction of roads and drains. However, in reality, no compensation is ever realised.
"It is an internal matter. Compensations are claimed, but ultimately the matter is settled unofficially for the reasons best known to BSNL higher-up," said an official on the condition of anonymity.
