With the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordering a stay on the sealing of the BSNL telephone exchange at Shahi Samadhan, the company’s 3G service is expected to start in Patiala another two weeks.

Earlier, the service was to start on October 8, but was delayed as BSNL was embroiled in a dispute over the location of its office in Shahi Samadhan, to which the district administration had objected and sealed the premises. Shahi Samadhan was the royal cremation ground of the Phulkian dynasty and is a protected heritage monument. It has been declared unsafe for use.

The district administration locked the telephone exchange and had sought vacation of the said premises within 15 days, till the High Court stayed the move and the locks were removed on Thursday.

Sources said BSNL was running its telephone exchange in the building for the last 62 years after the Maharaja of Patiala donated the land for running a telephone exchange.

The BSNL had made the telephone exchange a sub-station for its 3G service and installed vital technical equipment at the site.

BSNL GM Mussaddi Lal confirmed that 3G services will now be launched in the next 15 days since the land row had been put on hold by the HC.

BSNL 3G services launched in Ropar
ROPAR: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) launched its 3G mobile phone services in Ropar on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti was the chief guest on the occasion. General Manager (Telecom) Anand Khare said existing mobile phone customers having 3G enabled handsets could apply for a new simcard free of cost at the BSNL customer service centre near Lehri Shah Mandir in Ropar. ENS