Notwithstanding the data and revenue model, the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) has become a No-No for people in Odisha, who are deeply upset with its broadband service. Be it normal cable or FTTH, BSNL has failed its customers across the state. Forget about rural areas, situation has gone from bad to worse even in the capital city Bhubaneswar.

Poor customer service, lack of intent to resolve the issues, inefficient staff and uncooperative SDOs and JTOs, who don’t even pick up the customers’ calls and behave in a rude manner if nailed, have added woes to the consumers’ plight. People are leaving BSNL Broadband in large numbers to go for private operators such as WeFe, JetSpot etc.

While PM Modi is leaving no stones unturned to boost his Digital India campaign, the BSNL has turned out to be a big disappointment. It is being alleged that top BSNL officials are knowingly playing into the hands of private operators, giving a jolt to the company’s credibility.

In rural areas, people hardly get uninterrupted broadband service. As credible private operators have not penetrated into rural areas yet, BSNL officials take advantage of the situation and leave them in the lurch. There have been reports of delay in repairing work by days and weeks in many cases. As long as PM Modi does not listen to people’s voice and handle the BSNL crisis effectively, Digital India will remains a distant dream in Odisha.