KARACHI: People across the country thronged into the internet, telephones calls to the rational news papers their grudges against the recent venture of PTCL, imposing Rs 199 plus tax on all its subscribers stated to be 53 lacks across the country.
The Nation has conducted a survey on Monday, to ascertain the public point of view on this venture of PTCL, all expressed annoyance and burst out in this decision and termed it making the easiest way to make the money through this process.
It is estimated that PTCL will get around Rsl.055 billion in a month by its new package, Mr Iqbal Nasir, a resident of Gulistan-e-Johar, said while talking to the Nation here on Monday.
Hundreds of thousands telephones are still lying dead across the city but, the PTCL did not take any notice rather came up with shrewd plan, imposed Rs 199 on citizens and massive campaign under the colourful slogans to the innocent citizens who already made victims of price hike, he said.
Ms Soofia Bano, a resident of PECHS on telephone to the office of the Nation recorded her protest and termed the decision an easiest way of earning the unbelievable financial amount from the pockets of common citizens without spending a single penny and even without any physical fatigue, she said.
She demanded that the decision to this effect to be taken back without any delay and surprised that why not the interim government took notice of such type of decisions which ultimately caused of their defame.
Several people criticized the automatically activation of PTCL Pakistan package, which charges Rsl99 plus taxes besides other local Charges.
It may be noted that PTCL has itself imposed Rs 199 new tax on its 58 lacks consumers without taking them into confidence nor informing through any source.
It also may be noted that Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has also took notice of the violation of rules by the new management of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) on Wednesday incurred warning from the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA).
The PTA, which regulates the telecom sector, directed the country’s largest telecom company not to announce any tariff packages without the prior approval of the Authority.
The directive was issued after the PTCL recently announced new packages without the PTA’s approval. Being a Significant Market Player (SMP), the PTCL must seek prior approval of the PTA for its new packages.
The consumers were surprised when this unjustified financial burden were imposed them through a massive print coverage on various national news papers on last week.
One of the insiders in the PTCL said that a golden shake hand scheme has to be launched in the PTCL, the collection of money would be used to fire the employees through golden shake hand scheme, he remarked.
Abdulsami, reacted on this decision recorded his thoughts on a famous website and surprised that why the PTCL activated package automatically, I don’t make any NWD call, why should 1 pay Rsl99 plus taxes as I got the deactivation instruction from its website but I think everyone will have to pay the fixed sum of amount once even if they get the package deactivated, which I consider is illegal.
Nadeem Sheikh a doctor commented that people who don’t know about this package will get a shock when they’ll get their December bills, including Rs l5O+200 just for line rent then they’ll get to know that PTCL has caringly enabled a package without their permission, however, people will opt out of the package but PTCL will earn free revenue for the 1st month from all PTCL lines for the first month at least.
You get 5000 minutes per month free calls it is not unlimited package rather based on 166 minutes free per day average, somebody has to take the PTCL to court, he added.
Asif said “It is a good package and a lot of people would benefit from it but I totally agree that they should never have automatically enabled it on all the phones”.
The subscribers were of view that their point of concern is that how many people across the country could be intimated by the other features of this package through print and electronic media, of course a small number of people comparing millions of PTCL subscribers across country.
Besides the fact that it will allow subscribers to use 5000 free minutes in a month and giving opportunity to deactivate the said package if anyone came to know about the deactivation process under this condition a question raises is that a fair deal to automatically activate the package (costing handsome amount) without acquiring the approval of customers?
Interestingly, 70 percent of the country’s population live in rural areas coupled with minimum literacy rate, unfortunately the ratio of newspaper readers is not impressive in the country and ratio of those who run their eyes on advertisements especially additional features of ads are hardly came under small numbers.
Ironically, the package is landmark in the history of country’s telecom sector as activating a new service without asking the willingness of the subscribers, which cause the subscribers to pay extra amount.
PTCL management has come up with shrewd strategy to overcome its financial losses as the financial report of the company depicts that the revenue of the company in quarter ended September 30, 2007 stood at Rs l4.4 billion compared with Rs l6.9 billion in the same period of last year, which reflects the decline of 15 percent in the first quarter of year2007-08.
It is expected that through introducing the Pakistan Package PTCL would manage to come out of the financial crisis because millions of subscribers most of them may be unaware of the package would be subjected to pay extra amount of Rs 199 besides other local calls and line rent charges.
Experts opined that many of the subscribers could not fathom out the increase in their telephone bills at least coming two months, which would be beneficial for the PTCL and if someone takes a casual look at the profit of the company after launching this package he will find billions of rupees increase in the profit of the company. Despite repeated attempts PTCL spokesperson could not be available to comment on this issue.
Source: The Nation
Date:12/11/2007
