Phone tariff hike — Consumer bodies to move court

The UCI has highlighted three points to support its argument. It says that it was only from 1994 onwards that the duration of local calls was fixed for every five minutes. Prior to that there was no duration for local calls. Secondly, with technological developments, the space occupied by 1,000 lines can now accommodate more than 30,000 lines. Earlier, the system for 1,000 lines was maintained by 70 linesmen. However, revised norms have saved manpowerby reducing the number to 25 linesmen.

Consumer bodies have complained that the authorities are not applying their minds while imposing levies and later withdrawing them. These include the withdrawal of fax licence fee from Rs 3,000 to zero, call waiting facility from Rs 20 to zero and STD facility from Rs 50 to zero. They have highlighted the case of cellular subscribers who according to the new policy will have to pay Rs 600 as rent instead of the earlier Rs 156. Land line connection holders will pay Rs 3.90 per minute to call on the cellular phones. The organisations have demanded revision of rates to Rs 200, 200 calls free bi-monthly and rate of 50 paise per call. They have also demanded withdrawal of the existing charges for clip facility and the new policy charge of Rs 3.90 per minute from land line to cellular phones.

As telephones are crucial for communication, they should be brought under the purview of essential and emergency commodities and the monopoly of MTNL and DoT should end, the consumerbodies have said.