"Shocking": Minister On BSNL Director's 'Underwear, Hair Oil' Task For Officials

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has ordered action against BSNL Director Vivek Banzal amid a huge row over the protocol assigned to him for his visit to Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, sources in the government told NDTV on Wednesday.

The minister said the matter was brought to his notice and termed the episode "improper, unacceptable, and shocking", sources said. 

According to an official order, Banzal, director (CFA) of the BSNL Board, was scheduled to visit Prayagraj from February 25-26. His trip, however, was cancelled after the official order went viral.

As per the order, around 20 tasks were assigned to nearly 50 officials. On arrival in Prayagraj, Banzal was scheduled to bathe at Sangam, take a boat ride, and visit Bade Hanuman Mandir, Akshayavat and Patalpuri temples.

The 'snan' kits of the officials consisted of a towel, undergarment, slippers (mentioned as 'sleeper' in the office order), comb, mirror, and an oil bottle. An instruction was also issued to arrange one bedsheet for general use at the ghat.

At the hotel and Circuit House, a dry fruit bowl, a fruit bowl, a shaving kit, a towel, toothpaste, a brush, soap, shampoo, a comb, and oil were to be arranged, according to the order.

A show-cause notice has been issued against Banzal, and he has been asked to respond within seven days.

Government will not let it go easily, sources said.

BSNL India said that it 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," it posted on X on February 21.

"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," it added.

Banzal is an Indian telecommunication service officer of the 1987 batch. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electronics, a Master of Engineering in computer science, and an MBA. He has more than 34 years of experience handling telecom networks in India, according to data available on the BSNL website.