Why pushing for outdated 4G equipment, Himachal Pradesh High Court asks BSNL

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, June 4

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the BSNL to file a comprehensive affidavit explaining therein why it is still pushing for a totally obsolete and outdated equipment that would be rendered scrap very shortly.

The court passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition highlighting the plight of the residents of the state, particularly those of rural and backward areas, in the matters regarding Internet services.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for the BSNL informed the court that the telecom company had already called tenders for the supply of 4G equipment but the same could not be finalised because of the objections raised by various government authorities.

On this, the Division Bench comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice CB Barowalia observed, “We are surprised to note that while the entire world is proceeding or has rather switched over to the 5G technology, why the BSNL is still trying to procure outdated 4G equipment. Why public money is sought to be wasted is a matter of concern both for people and this court. No government or authority for that matter has the right to say that it will indulge in wasteful expenditure and any attempt to fritter away state resources can definitely be checked by this court, as it is not powerless to prevent such waste and squandering of public funds, as and when questioned”.

The court said, “The government and the authorities concerned are only trustees of public funds and, therefore, have an obligation to ensure that the funds are spent in a proper manner and no amount is wasted or frittered away”.

The court directed the BSNL to file an affidavit on or before the next date and listed the matter for further hearing on June 22. Looking at the nature of relief, the court impleaded the BSNL through its Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) as a party in the case. Besides, the court also impleaded Airtel, Reliance JIO Infocomm, Vodafone and Idea as parties.

The court directed all service providers to ensure that all telecommunication towers were fully operational and functional and file a compliance report in this regard on or before the next date of hearing.