New delhi, June 14 – The 160-year old telegram services which is due to be discontinued from July 15 will be given a ceremonial farewell.
“We will bid it a very warm farewell and perhaps the last telegram sent should be made a museum piece; that’s the way which we can bid it a warm farewell,” Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal told Press Trust of India (PTI).
The state-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has decided to discontinue telegram services following a huge gap between an average annual revenue of Rs 75 lakh (about US$1.30 million) and cost of over Rs 100 crore (US$17.28 million).
“In the last fiscal year, the establishment cost for telegram services was more than Rs 100 crore. We consulted with the Department of Costs and they agreed there are better options available for communication,” an official said.
About 75 telegram centres are operating in the country with fewer than 1,000 employees. BSNL will absorb these employees for managing mobile services,landline telephony and broadband services.
An average of 5,000 telegrams are sent everyday from all the centres from government departments, the business community and in the events of death.
Faced with declining revenues, the government revised telegram charges in 2011 after a gap of 60 years.
Two months ago, telegram services for overseas communication were withdrawn by BSNL.
The first experimental electric telegraph line was started between Kolkata and Diamond Harbour in 1850 and opened for use by the British East India Company in the following year. The services were opened for the public in 1854.
-BERNAMA
