New Delhi: With the current VRS plan expected to cut BSNL's staff by almost half, the DoT has instructed the corporation to put in place measures to ensure business continuity and smooth transition, particularly for manning telephone exchanges in rural areas.

At present, various options are being discussed for the transition period.

A source in Department of Telecom (DoT) told PTI said the matter requires urgent focus, and meetings are on to find a solution to ensure there is no impact on day-to-day manning of exchanges and other operations, once the VRS plan concludes.

On Friday evening the number of BSNL employees opting for VRS had swelled to 57,000. BSNL's internal target for VRS is pegged at 77,000 employees, which essentially means that if the VRS reaches full target, the staff strength will come down by half.