The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has identified surplus land parcels and buildings owned by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) nationwide, and those of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) in Delhi and Mumbai, for outright sale to government departments, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and government organizations. This information was conveyed by DoT Secretary Neeraj Mittal on May 21 to all secretaries in central ministries and chief secretaries of states and Union Territories.
Mittal informed them that BSNL has launched a website listing all the available properties for outright sale across the country. He requested that the secretaries and chief secretaries ensure the website is widely publicized among various departments, PSUs, and government organizations, emphasizing that this scheme would benefit government organizations in need of such properties.
The government has listed over 100 MTNL properties for outright sale through an auction process. These include 48 properties in Delhi and 52 in Maharashtra, including Mumbai. Notable properties up for sale include those in Connaught Place (New Delhi), the well-known MTNL Telephone House in Prabhadevi (Mumbai), and the Telephone Bhavan in Colaba (Mumbai). Other properties are located in Powai, Andheri, Bandra, Mulund, Vashi, and Worli in Mumbai. Additionally, more than 530 buildings and land parcels have been identified in other states across the country.
In 2019, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal for the revival of BSNL and MTNL, which included monetizing their surplus land and building assets. This was followed by a second package worth around Rs 1.64 trillion in 2022, focusing on infusing fresh capital, restructuring debt, and providing viability gap funding for rural telephony.
Sources suggest that these properties could generate over Rs 20,000 crore for the government. The government had previously criticized BSNL and MTNL for the slow pace of land monetization and urged them to expedite the process. The restructuring has enabled BSNL to launch its 4G services in limited parts of the country for the first time, using indigenous technology from the Tata-CDOT combine. Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that BSNL has already acquired 800,000 4G subscribers in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. He expects the core of the network to be rolled out from August in the west, south, and east, with a nationwide rollout beginning during the festival season. He also announced plans to roll out 5G services within a year.
