Lok Sabha Debates
Regarding Problems Faced By The Rural And Fixed Telephone Subscribers Of Bharat ... on 4 December, 2002
NT> Title: Regarding problems faced by the rural and fixed telephone subscribers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
SHRI DALIT EZHILMALAI : Sir, this issue is about the telephone system in the entire country. The rural telephone system is entirely different from the urban telephone system. Recently, BSNL issued a directive to its agencies throughout the country that the fixed telephone subscribers in areas located beyond a distance of 50 kilometres from the SSA are not going to be connected with the mobile subscribers. This difficulty in the rural areas is very much visible everywhere. The fixed phone subscribers in the rural areas, that is, for SDCAs beyond 50 kilometres from SSA headquarters, have difficulty in contacting the mobile subscribers of the same area.
Our country is divided into 322 SSAs and each SSA is divided into a number of Short Distance Charging Areas for the purposes of administration, networking and charging. My SSA, which is Tiruchirappalli, has four revenue districts. In these four revenue districts, we have 2.7 lakh telephone connections. Of these 2.7 lakh telephone connections, 40 per cent of the connections are spread over in the rural areas. Forty per cent of people can dial within the SDCA as a local call with a tariff of one unit per 180 seconds.
MR. SPEAKER: Please conclude.
SHRI DALIT EZHILMALAI : Sir, please allow me to complete my statement because this is concerning the whole country.
MR. SPEAKER: Please be very brief.
SHRI DALIT EZHILMALAI : This is something about the technical work, and the BSNL managers have not given enough thought or applied their minds on this. This is going to be effective from the 10th of this month.
MR. SPEAKER: Your point is well taken.
SHRI DALIT EZHILMALAI : Secondly, they can dial adjacent SDCAs and SDCAs whose SDCCs are within 50 kilometres through 91/95 access with a tariff of one unit per 180 seconds.
अध्यक्ष महोदय : मंत्री जी, इस विषय पर ध्यान दें।
The House stands adjourned to meet at 2.00 p.m. 13.17 hrs. The Lok Sabha then adjourned for Lunch till Fourteen of the Clock.
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