Corruption coils around VTDO

DoT GM, however, maintained that more than one STD/PCO lines could not be allotted to one phone booth owner. The sanctions, he stated, had been obtained by booth owners `using other means’. Babu, however, agreed that the department would not cancel the existing extra connections while also guarding against sanctioning the same to any new applicants. He promised the TAC members that connections of only those phone booth owners who had defaulted or had not paid their bills on time will be cancelled forthwith.

Member of Parliament Narayan Rathwa alleged that as members of the STD/PCO Committee were corrupt such illegal sanctions would remain. “I suggest that TAC members be also included in this committee,” he said. Babu rejected the suggestion as “not feasible”, however offering to appoint a five-member observer committee comprising TAC members.

TAC member Abbas Memon along with Nilesh Jago Brahmbhatt levelled charges of corruption against a senior vigilance department official stating that he was helping unscrupulous STD/PCO booth owners by “settling their cases at a price”. Babu agreed in principle to look into the charges, simultaneously informing the TAC members that the post of the DoT Vigilance Officer would be shortly upgraded to that occupied by a Divisional Engineer.

Another TAC member Chirag Zaveri appealed for a greater co-ordination between the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and the DoT before carrying out digging of the roads. On a query about faulty lines during the monsoon, Babu said as against the previous recorded faults of over 3,000 lines, only 2,000 lines had been disrupted this season proving that the DoT’s services had improved.

Leading industrialist Anuj Patel remarked that MPs Narayan Rathwa and Jaya Thakkar follow suit of Surat MP Kanshiram Rana and acquire permission for Internet services in Vadodara from the Centre. Meanwhile, Babu added that though the political initiative could bear results, there was little the DoT could do in this regard till the dispute between the TRAI and VSNL was resolved. Babu, however, assured that the much-delayed ISDN facility would be made available by the department before Diwali.