PTCL 'fleecing' people by charging installation fee on free phones
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited charging installation fee from applicants who had applied for free phone connections in September last, customers complained.

A number of applicants say, PTCL has sent them demand notes, after three months, asking them to deposit Rs 865 as installation fee, without a telephone set.

When one of the applicant, who received a demand note of Rs. 865 approached the Divisional Engineer Phones, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi, he straight away said "there is no free phone facility in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad due to shortage of connections."

No free connections

When he was told that a pair is available for new phone connection on KRL Road, he said, "the campaign for free phone connections has ended and now there are no free connections."

Advertisement Crusade?

He was asked if there were no free phone connections what was the need to spending millions on the advertisement campaign to attract people to get free phone connections in September.

The Divisional Engineer said, "it is not my job, go and ask the high ups. I have been clearly directed not to issue any demand note without installation fee."

Another applicant of KRL Road, who submitted application for free phone with the Satellite Town exchange said that he was still waiting for a demand note from the same exchange.

Visits to Exchanges

Most of the applicants, demanding free phone connections under PTCL's announced scheme have been frequently visiting telephone exchanges for months but all their efforts have proved futile owing to the bureaucratic attitude of the PTCL high ups.

Though PTCL has lowered the rates of new telephone connections both in urban and rural areas, but in urban areas it could not accommodate all applicants as it has not done any expansion in the existing exchanges, creating a sense of
frustration.

One of the applicant, who has applied for phone connection from I-8/3, told Pakistan's state-run news agency that despite the passage of three months he hasnot been issued a demand note by the PTCL. He said, if this is the position in posh areas what would be the state of affairs in rural areas.

Dilemma of cable

Another applicant, who wanted to shift his phone from D block to B block near Commercial Centre had to face the dilemma of "non-availability of cable" in the area.

"What happened to the tall claims of PTCL. If they can't shift a phone in a major city what would be the state of affairs in small towns," said Aamir the applicant.

Call to Minister

The applicants have demanded from the Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari to intervene into the state of affairs in the PTCL and make it more people friendly organization.

They said the Government on one hand has offered 26 percent share of the PTCL in the open market to attract foreign investors in its privatization process while on the other the lethargic and bureaucratic attitude of the high ups is giving it a bad name.●