BSNL contract workers indefinite strike continues

October 12, 2011

Mangalore, October 12: The indefinite strike of contract workers of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, against the move to discontinue services of some of their colleagues, has entered second day on Wednesday

The BSNL Non-Permanent Workers Union (CITU) Dakshina Kannada unit's general secretary Balakrishna Bhimaguli said the BSNL had discontinued the services of employees working on contract. The services of 48 members were discontinued from December 2010. Around 12 members from Dakshina Kannada were asked not to work from October 1, he said.

Among those whose services had been discontinued include that of Shivaram, who had been working as a security guard and as lineman for 20 years at the Bellipady Exchange. “I was among the three members doing the work of permanent employees. Just a few days ago, a higher official called me and asked me not to work from October 1. No orders have been given in writing,” he said.

Similar is the case of Krishna N, who has been working in Mandekolu in Sullia Exchange for 18 years. “I have been asked not to come for work from October 1. But as some works are going on, they have asked me to work for two more months,” he said. The officials only said that they were acting as per the directions of their higher-ups and to reduce loss to the BSNL, he said.

Mohammed Shafi, who has been working for 15 years, said this was not the way BSNL should discontinue their services. “We have toiled hard all these years regardless of poor infrastructure at our exchanges. We should be absorbed into the BSNL and should be given all service benefits,” he said.

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Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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