Come out from home and pay bills, BSNL asks subscribers

SRINAGAR — State owned telecommunication company BSNL shocked its consumers when it disconnected phones and internet connections due to non-payment of bills amid current Coronavirus pandemic.

Scores of subscribers were seen outside the office of BSNL here in Srinagar city to deposit their bills. “The company without any notice or warning disconnected my landline and internet connection. We were earlier told that during pandemic, BSNL won’t disconnect the connections of subscribers, but that was not the case,” Muneer Ahmed, a subscriber said.

The subscribers who were fuming said that they were not expecting such a callous response from BSNL in this pandemic. “When millions are being spent on ads requesting people to stay at home and stay safe, BSNL is forcing subscribers to come out from the houses and fill their coffers. I can’t make payment through internet, as you know this is Kashmir where internet disappears like pole star,” said Nisar Ahmed.

Pertinently, during the government sponsored lockdown after the abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year, BSNL and other telecommunication companies sent bills for services that were not provided by these companies.

Kashmir faced longest communications blackout then and yet these companies charged subscribers for services that were not provided by them.