Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Union minister of communication Jyotiraditya Scindia strongly criticised a planned visit by Vivek Banzal, director (CFA) of the BSNL Board, to Prayagraj, which came under scrutiny for its highly detailed itinerary involving nearly 50 officials and extensive arrangements.Scindia condemned Banzal’s instructions as a “violation of established rules” and said a show-cause notice has been issued in response to the case.“I have made it very clear that this is improper and a violation of established rules and traditions. It is unacceptable to me. It is shocking. A show-cause notice has already been issued to the Director with a seven-day response period. We will take appropriate action,” Scindia said, as quoted by ANI.The proposed two-day visit, scheduled from February 25-26, was called off after the itinerary went viral on social media. Around 20 tasks were assigned to officials to manage every aspect of the trip, including transport, accommodation, and personal arrangements for Banzal.The office order detailed a tightly planned schedule, including bathing at the Sangam, a boat ride, and visits to Bade Hanuman Mandir, Akshayavat, and Patalpuri temples. ‘Snan’ kits were to include towels, undergarments, slippers, combs, mirrors, soap, shampoo, and oil — six male kits and two female kits in total. One bed sheet was also to be arranged for general use at the ghat. Hotel and Circuit House arrangements included dry fruits, fruit bowls, towels, toiletries, and shaving kits.A senior BSNL officer in Prayagraj, speaking on condition of anonymity to PTI, said the incident appeared to be “an attempt to tarnish (our) image” and declined to comment further.BSNL India, in a post on X on Saturday, stated, “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.”
