THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Two towering Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) structures continue to dominate Goa’s skyline. But according to the public sector telecom operator itself, they are no longer part of its active network.
Reply to an RTI application by The Goan has revealed that BSNL has officially classified both its “officially remaining” towers in Goa as decommissioned, while stating that it does not possess information on the total number of its mobile towers currently standing in the State because the data is not available.
The disclosure places the State-owned telecom utility in a position where it acknowledges visible infrastructure on the ground, but does not maintain a consolidated inventory of it in official records.
Asked specifically to provide the total number of BSNL-owned mobile towers in Goa, along with details of defunct or non-functional structures, the response was categorical: “Information not available.”
On the status of the two identified sites, BSNL stated that the two North Goa towers have been decommissioned. For South Goa, the reply recorded the status as “Nil.”
The RTI application also sought documentation on structural stability audits, corrosion checks, and safety certifications for the towers to which the BSNL responded that no such information was available in its records. It further stated that it did not hold any structural safety certificates issued by certified engineers for the said infrastructure in the last two years.
At the same time, the telecom operator confirmed that no expenditure had been incurred in the last five years towards structural audits or public safety clearances for the towers. However, it provided maintenance figures, showing Rs 9.30 lakh spent in 2023-24 (Rs 33.97 lakh approx allocated) and Nil in 2024-25 despite allocation of Rs 4.29 lakh approx.
Ironically, for the financial year 2025-26, there was no budget allocation, yet the expenditure was estimated at Rs 16.93 lakh.
The disclosures exposed an unusual situation. While the Centre had then maintained that only a small number of towers nationwide were non-functional due to technical or logistical issues, the present RTI response has suggested that even a basic count of operational infrastructure in Goa is no longer available in the company’s records.
