The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Pensioners want change in BSNL billing cycle

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 31, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Pensioners want change in BSNL billing cycle

Staff Reporter

"It is causing inconvenience to salaried people, senior citizens who remitted by ECS"

CHENNAI : The Tamil Nadu Senior Citizens and Pensioners Welfare Association has appealed to Union Communications Minister A. Raja to withdraw service tax on telephone usage and to introduce a more customer-friendly billing cycle in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

In a memorandum, association general secretary S. M. Chellaswamy said the BSNL's pay-by-date, fixed between 25 and 29, was causing inconvenience to the salaried people and senior citizens who made the remittance through electronic clearance system (ECS).

Pointing out that the salary/pension was given on the last working day of the month or on the first day in private firms, the memorandum said many people would not have enough cash in their bank accounts to pay the bill through the ECS. The memorandum also urged withdrawal of service tax as it was wrong to collect tax when a fixed rental was already being levied.

National ID cards

In a separate memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the association wanted the issuance of national ID cards to start with senior citizens above 60 years instead of prioritising those above 18 years of age.

These cards would be essential for senior citizens in availing themselves of travel and tax concessions, the memorandum said.

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