The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Hello, where is coin-box phone here?

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Friday, Jul 11, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Hello, where is coin-box phone here?

Aditya Preetham

Railway Board has taken a policy decision not to allow coin-box phones in station premises

Coin-box phones not allowed in order to help physically handicapped people who run the booths
BSNL working on revenue-sharing model with the railways to reopen the centre

BANGALORE: When there has been a revolution in the telecommunication sector and public coin booths could be seen even in petty shops, the City Railway Station does not sport even a single coin phone.

Worse still, the lone Bharatiya Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) Customer Care Centre that had been offering various telephone-related facilities at affordable prices to thousands of people has been non-functional for over a year.

The public allege that BSNL and the Railways were hand-in-glove in the closure of this facility to help private telephone operators earn more. The centre used to offer mobile recharge coupons, public telephone (local as well as STD), and payment of telephone bills and fax facilities when it used to function.

A BSNL employee told The Hindu that the centre used to do a business of Rs. 15,000 a day through the facilities offered.

Facilities absent

However, the facilities had not been working for the last one year, he said. He said the Railways had been demanding more rent for the premises or an equal share in the revenue.

He alleged that BSNL was attempting to shut down the facility and offer it to private operators.

Meanwhile, the Railways allowed setting up of around 25 telephone booths in various parts of the City Railway Station.

The BSNL employee alleged that passengers who made use of the facility in these booths were cheated as the operators had tampered with the meter and in many cases the operators did not provide receipts.

When The Hindu visited the railway station on Thursday, many people were seen approaching the BSNL centre only to read an announcement “all services are closed.” Disappointed they then went to STD booths operated by private individuals in the premises.

It has been the Railway Board’s decision not to allow public coin booths on the station premises, said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Bangalore Division, Anwar Hussain.

The board had a policy regarding setting up of STD booths in Railway premises to help physically challenged people and war widows. If coin booths were allowed, these vulnerable sections of people would lose their livelihood, the board said.

Mr. Hussain said the Bangalore Division of South Western Railway had sent a proposal to install a number of coin booths in the premises of Railway Stations which was rejected by the board.

As far as BSNL centre was concerned, Mr. Hussain said it was for the BSNL to respond.

BSNL aware

BSNL Deputy General Manager (PR and Marketing) Krishnamoorthy admitted to The Hindu that the centre had been non-functional for some time.

This was because the Railways demanded a share in the revenue. Now that BSNL was inclined to accept the demand, a suitable revenue sharing model was being worked out and by the end of this month, the centre would become functional, he said.

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