BSNL has decided to act tough with landline bill defaulters as part of a nation-wide drive to recover dues from remorseless offenders.
This follows a recent circular from BSNL’s corporate office stipulating a set of measures to be undertaken for the prosecution of defaulters who have run up dues for more than three months. These measures, that include serving legal notice, securing police assistance and filing a case with the Lok Adalat, are to be adopted by all BSNL circles uniformly across the country.
Contrary to perception, the current outstanding even in a circle like Chennai Telephones which boasts of 99 per cent collection efficiency is over Rs. 15 crore. Chennai Telephones, which is among circles with the highest collection efficiency, is also taking the lead in launching recovery measures, said BSNL Chennai Telephones spokesperson G. Vijaya.
As per recovery guidelines, BSNL would serve legal notices to the defaulters and also seek help of police in recovery of the money. Before getting to the stage of serving legal notice, BSNL already has a well-established standard operating procedure to deal with defaulters.