The telecom department has sought legal opinion from Additional Solicitor General AS Chandiok after the Delhi High Court recently asked it to take back all 1,600 senior executives who wish to return from state-run telco BSNL.
The High Court verdict has landed telecoms department in a soup since there are no vacancies to absorb so many Group A former-BSNL executives belonging to the Indian Telecom Service (ITS).
What's more, the telecom department will also have to put on hold its recent decision to shunt 400 of these officers to a surplus cell since the court wants it to re-deploy all BSNL executives keen to return to the communications ministry.
Matters have come to a head since DoT has been asked to set in motion the reorganisation exercise from May 1. "The telecom department has approached the Additional Solicitor General for a legal view following the Delhi High Court verdict. All decisions on redeploying ex-BSNL executives belonging to the ITS cadre will be taken subsequently," said a top department official aware of the developments.
State-run BSNL had some 1,600 ITS officers who were deputed from DoT 12 years ago when the telco was spun off as a separate corporate entity from the telecom department. But last November, these officers opted to return to government service since the compensation package is higher.
Thereafter, since BSNL suffered an exodus of its top managers, it only relieved only 400 of these executives to the telecom department and held back the remaining 1,200 to preempt an organisational collapse. But executives aware of the developments believe BSNL will not be able to hold on to these 1,200 ITS officers following the court order. .................................... ET
The High Court verdict has landed telecoms department in a soup since there are no vacancies to absorb so many Group A former-BSNL executives belonging to the Indian Telecom Service (ITS).
What's more, the telecom department will also have to put on hold its recent decision to shunt 400 of these officers to a surplus cell since the court wants it to re-deploy all BSNL executives keen to return to the communications ministry.
Matters have come to a head since DoT has been asked to set in motion the reorganisation exercise from May 1. "The telecom department has approached the Additional Solicitor General for a legal view following the Delhi High Court verdict. All decisions on redeploying ex-BSNL executives belonging to the ITS cadre will be taken subsequently," said a top department official aware of the developments.
State-run BSNL had some 1,600 ITS officers who were deputed from DoT 12 years ago when the telco was spun off as a separate corporate entity from the telecom department. But last November, these officers opted to return to government service since the compensation package is higher.
Thereafter, since BSNL suffered an exodus of its top managers, it only relieved only 400 of these executives to the telecom department and held back the remaining 1,200 to preempt an organisational collapse. But executives aware of the developments believe BSNL will not be able to hold on to these 1,200 ITS officers following the court order. .................................... ET
