Executive Councilor LAHDC Kargil for Zanskar Affairs Tenzin Sonam along with Chief General Manager J&K Circle BSNL H.K Verma and General Manager BSNL Ladakh Region Punchok Dorjay today visited Padum and took on spot appraisal of people’s grievances with regard to the unsatisfactory landline and mobile services of BSNL in the area.During the visit a number of public delegations assembled at Civil Helipad Padum and presented their concerns and demands pertaining to the substandard telecom network of BSNL in the Sub Division. A memorandum was also presented by the people on the occasion.Interacting with the public delegations the EC said that Hill Council Kargil is making all-out efforts to improve the living standard of people living in far-flung and snowbound areas of the district and a number of steps are afoot to ensure that they get facilities at their footsteps. The EC said that solar power plants shall be installed in the area during the coming summer season so as to cope up with the power problems at Telephone Exchange Padum, he said adding that solar plants have also been proposed for round the clock operation of mobile towers in the area.
Meanwhile, the CGM J&K assured the public delegations that two mobile towers already installed by the company at Manda and Shilingskit shall be activated in due course of time while as a proposal for the launching of 3G services at Padum is also in the pipeline.The EC along with the officers of BSNL also visited Telephone Exchange Padum and inquired about the facilities there. The CGM informed the EC that effort is being made to raise the capacity of the Telephone Exchange besides improving the services to a satisfactory level.Pertinently the services of BSNL in Zanskar Sub Division have not improved despite the deployment of a technical team of BSNL to the area a week ago. The EC while expressing concern over the erratic telecommunication facilities in the area exhorted upon the BSNL officers for early commissioning of the two mobile towers which were erected in 2012 and have still not been made functional.Meanwhile, the EC has expressed gratitude to the officers of BSNL for taking pains and for carrying out continued efforts for improvement and up gradation of telecom services in the far-flung Sub Division in harsh winter and sub-zero temperature conditions.