Two senior UP officers to be transferred for order on BSNL director's Prayagraj visit

Lucknow, Feb 25 (PTI) At least two senior Uttar Pradesh BSNL officials have received transfer orders for issuing a controversial and now viral office order, which minutely listed the arrangements to be made before a BSNL Board director's two-day Prayagraj visit, sources said on Wednesday.

A show-cause notice has been issued to Vivek Banzal, Director (Consumer Fixed Access) of the BSNL Board, whose proposed visit now stands cancelled pending an official inquiry.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday slammed the "absurd and shocking" demands and arrangements linked to Banzal's proposed visit, calling it a "violation of rules" and "unacceptable conduct".

The two officers at the receiving end of a veritable punishment posting are Jogeshwar Verma, Deputy General Manager (Administration), and Brijendra Kumar Singh, Principal General Manager (Business Area), both based in Prayagraj.

While Brijendra is being transferred to Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Jogeshwar is likely to be sent to the National Telecom Region, BSNL sources said.

The officers are likely to challenge the departmental transfer in court, they added.

Sources said Jogeshwar signed the order, which assigned around 20 tasks to nearly 50 officials for the management of every aspect of Banzal's tightly planned visit to Prayagraj on February 25-26.

The itinerary included a dip at the Sangam, a boat ride, and visits to Bade Hanuman Mandir, Akshayavat and Patalpuri temples.

The order instructed the arrangement of "snan kits" -- for six males and two females -- consisting of towels, undergarments, slippers (mentioned as "sleeper" in the order), soap, shampoo, hair oil, comb and mirror, as well as a bed sheet for general use at the ghat.

Hotel and Circuit House arrangements reportedly included dry fruits, fruit bowls, towels, toiletries, and shaving kits for the director, and possibly his guests.

"The question is whether the two officers who were identified for the lapse acted on their own. If so, they are responsible. But what if they acted on the instructions of their superiors? This is a likely scenario, and that's why the chances of the transfer order being challenged are high," a BSNL source told PTI.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the episode was "unacceptable" and one that "flouts all rules and traditions".

An order like this is "unacceptable" in new India, he said, adding that a show-cause notice has been issued to Banzal.

The minister also termed the order "beyond absurd" and "shocking".

Banzal, 59, who became a director on the board of the state-owned telecom operator in October 2018, could not be reached for comments.

He is due to superannuate at the end of September this year.

According to the BSNL website, Banzal is an Indian Telecommunication Service officer of the 1987 batch. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics, a Master of Engineering in Computer Science, and an MBA. He has more than 34 years of experience handling telecom networks in India.

"Since 2016, he has been promoting and managing Bharat Fiber (BSNL's FTTH services), BSNL IT framework, and other services. His vision has led to the digitisation of processes and the introduction of innovative solutions for customers," the BSNL website said.

In an X post on February 21, BSNL India said, "BSNL has standing instructions in place regarding the manner in which official visits are to be handled. An instance of non-adherence to the same has been taken note of. The instance noted is not in conformity with the professional standards and values of BSNL.

"Appropriate action has been taken against the concerned. Further, instructions have been issued reiterating strict adherence to extant instructions. BSNL employees are reminded to strictly adhere to prescribed conduct rules and instructions in this regard," the post said. PTI COR MAN CDN MBI ANZ MR RUK RUK