Sibal on 2G spectrum scam clean-up mission

NEW DELHI: Telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday acknowledged that the 2G spectrum scam has impacted the citizens’ confidence in the sector.

Anxious to rid the ministry of the taint it had gathered in the last few years, Mr Sibal, who has made reaching out to the commonman his top priority, said Sanchar Bhavan would see a significant change in the coming days. “The average citizen should be fully informed about what really happened. We would like to reach out with information that is available, even beyond the CAG report,” Mr Sibal said.

With the telecom department facing ignominy, the minister feels it is too early to talk in terms of a new system. The focus should be on a clean-up operation in Sanchar Bhavan and evolve policies over which there is no ambiguity.

“I want to bring transparency into the system and create institutional interaction with stakeholders. This would include technical people. The government must be open and transparent,” he said.

The minister was unwilling to divulge the future course when it comes to officials who were seen to be close to his predecessor A Raja. Already, Mr Raja’s former aide RK Chandolia has been repatriated to his parent Indian Economic Service cadre.

Sources in the telecom ministry said that more action was expected against other officials who were seen to be close to the DMK leader, such as AK Srivastava, deputy director general in charge of licensing in the department of telecom. A senior official indicated that, for the time being, the new team will need to get Mr Raja’s officials to decode the files, so action against them may have to wait.

Even as he acknowledged the growth potential of the telecom sector, he would like to rely on the telecom PSU to fulfil his government’s agenda. “I would like to ensure last mile access. For that BSNL will be a key player. I intend to strengthen the BSNL organisation.”

Temporary as the charge may be, Mr Sibal would like to put in place the framework for ensuring the telecommunication penetration in the rural areas.

“Do we have a real idea of tele-density of the country? I would like for that to be determined as well. I think it is a battle half won, or there is half of the battle that is yet to be won. I would like to concentrate on winning that battle. The thrust must be on the rural market. The focus must be on ensuring access where it is most required. This would require building a system,’’ he said.

As part of the his plan, Mr Sibal would like to build a system that would ensure broadband access to every panchayat as announced in the President’s Address.