Adalat on dues

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Aug. 6: The Darjeeling District Legal Service Authority has decided to organise a Mega Lok Adalat here on August 31 to settle issues pertaining to outstanding BSNL telephone bills.

Most of the bills accrued during the three-year “non-co-operation movement” from 2008 till 2011 enforced by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The Legal Service Authority said notices were being issued to 1,560 BSNL landline consumers asking them to attend the hearing and if the initiative became a success, similar drives would be taken up elsewhere in the Darjeeling hills. Many of the landline connections have been disconnected for non-payment of dues.

Pranay Rai, public prosecutor and a member of the Legal Service Authority, today said: “The Legal Service Authority under the chairmanship of Uday Kumar, who is the district judge, has decided to take steps to deal with all outstanding telephone bills to provide relief to the public. We put forward a proposal to the BSNL to settle the dues, to which they have agreed.”

Rai said in the coming days, the BSNL could go in for legal action against the defaulters. In the hearing, he said subsidy could be given to the defaulters by the BSNL .

A. Dakua, the general manager of Siliguri telecom district, said BSNL officials would attend the Lok Adalat.

Lok Adalat settles all cases, criminal (except murder) and civil, which can be mutually agreed upon. The decisions by Lok Adalt are final

Told about the Adalat, Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: “I am not aware of the details. Let us find out the details first.”