RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The president of the SITE Association of Industry, Jawed Bilwani, urged high-ups in the Ministry of Telecommunication and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to ask PTCL officials and technical staff to rectify faults and provide uninterrupted and quality telecommunication services in the SITE industrial area.

PTCL’s landline telecommunication system in the largest and oldest industrial area of Pakistan, SITE Industrial Area, which was inaugurated by Quaid-e-Azam in September 1947, has collapsed, he said. The problem is causing severe inconvenience to industries, which require contact with foreign and local buyers and suppliers.

Disruptions caused by irregular availability of telephone and broadband internet services provided by PTCL, which is owned by the government, result in disturbance of production activities and the supply chain, he added. The industries are become fed up with complaints which have gone on deaf ears.

Lethargy in the higher management of PTCL is making it almost impossible for it to rectify faults, he said.

“Should we call it criminal negligence, or mala fide intent to slowdown the wheels of industry which will ultimately affect the economy and exports?” Bilwani said.

He expressing concern over PTCL’s fragile communication system, established decades ago, which frequently goes out of order.

He demanded that the government immediately revamp the infrastructure to provide uninterrupted and quality telecommunication services to the industries, which are the largest taxpayers and employment generators.

Telephones of a large number of industries are out of order for six to eight months. In some cases telephone and other services are momentary restored, but again go out of order after short time span. No practical efforts have been witnessed to rectify the faults by PTCL high-ups in Karachi.

He added that although an automated complaint system was introduced, but it is not satisfactory.

Automated complaints are registered but the response is very poor. Computerized calls are made several times for feedback on whether or not the fault has been rectified. Instead of this the PTCL Technical Staff himself make sure whether the fault is removed or not. In case the customer’s feedback is required it can be taken while sending SMS.

The president of the SITE Association said that PTCL was even charging bills for periods when telephones are dead and other provided services are out of order, calling this highly unethical and unfair. PTCL should adjust the amount of bills during periods when there have been no services, he said, and it should adjust these billing amounts on its own.

Despite repeated complaints, no practical efforts are made to rectify faults, except for lip-service, he said.

He stated that the problem is not confined to SITE and other parts of the city, including posh localities like DHA, are affected by faulty services.