Lucknow, February 25 At least two senior Uttar Pradesh BSNL officials have received transfer orders for issuing a controversial and now viral office order, which meticulously listed the arrangements to be made before a BSNL Board director's two-day visit to Prayagraj, sources said on Wednesday.
A show-cause notice has been issued to Vivek Banzal, Director (Consumer Fixed Access) of the BSNL Board, whose proposed visit has now been cancelled pending an official inquiry.
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday slammed the "absurd and shocking" demands and arrangements linked to Banzal's proposed visit, calling it a "violation of rules" and "unacceptable conduct".
The two officers at the receiving end of a veritable punishment posting are Jogeshwar Verma, Deputy General Manager (Administration), and Brijendra Kumar Singh, Principal General Manager (Business Area), both based in Prayagraj.
While Brijendra is being transferred to Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Jogeshwar is likely to be sent to the National Telecom Region, BSNL sources said.
The officers are likely to challenge the departmental transfer in court, they added.
Sources said Jogeshwar signed the order, which assigned around 20 tasks to nearly 50 officials for the management of every aspect of Banzal's tightly planned visit to Prayagraj on February 25-26.
The itinerary included a dip at the Sangam, a boat ride, and visits to Bade Hanuman Mandir, Akshayavat and Patalpuri temples.
The order instructed the arrangement of "bathing kits" – for six males and two females – consisting of towels, undergarments, slippers (mentioned as "sleeper" in the order), soap, shampoo, hair oil, comb and mirror, as well as a bed sheet for general use at the ghat.
Hotel and Circuit House arrangements reportedly included dry fruits, fruit bowls, towels, toiletries, and shaving kits for the director, and possibly his guests.
"The question is whether the two officers who were identified for the lapse acted on their own. If so, they are responsible. But what if they acted on the instructions of their superiors? This is a likely scenario, and that's why the chances of the transfer order being challenged are high," a BSNL source told
