MP Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun urges immediate BSNL tower installation in villages and calls for pending employee pay revision
DAVANAGERE
During the Zero Hour in Parliament on Wednesday, MP Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun urged the Central Government to address the long-pending issue of installing BSNL mobile towers in several villages of Davanagere district. She highlighted that villages such as Haleshpur, Aralikatte, and Chikkakogalur in Channagiri taluk, Mussenahalu in Honnali taluk, and Konganahosur and Intalthanda in Harapanahalli taluk continue to struggle without basic mobile network coverage.
Dr. Mallikarjun reminded the House that the Digital India Mission aims to eliminate the digital divide and ensure seamless connectivity across the nation. However, residents of these villages are still deprived of essential mobile services. Despite repeatedly bringing the matter to the attention of authorities, no progress has been seen. She informed that four letters were sent to the Shivamogga Zonal Office, two to the Bellary Zonal Office, and additional letters to the Ministry of Communications on March 16 and September 20. Although the Ministry responded on October 17, there has been no concrete movement on the installation of BSNL towers.
Due to this lack of connectivity, students, farmers, and small businesses face significant disruptions in digital payments, online education, telemedicine, and emergency communication. This prolonged delay is widening the rural-urban digital gap and hampering access to essential services.
She urged the Communications Minister to direct BSNL to immediately install towers in the affected villages to ensure reliable and equitable digital access.
The MP also demanded that the Central Government remove the affordability clause related to the 3rd pay revision for BSNL employees, pending since 2017. She termed the clause unjust, noting that BSNL, being a service-oriented public sector undertaking, should not be evaluated solely on profit. She appealed for the revision to be granted by March 31, 2026.
