Question : DIFFICULTIES IN GETTING TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS

(a) whether people are facing difficulty in getting telephone connections in rural districts and PCO connections at the Panchayat level in the country especially in Rajasthan;

(b) if so, the reasons therefor;

(c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard;

(d) whether irregularities are being committed in providing quality telephone instruments at the time of issuing new connections;

(e) if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the action taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA)

(a) & (b) Yes, Sir. Some difficulties are faced in providing telephone connections (including PCO connections) in rural areas. Presumably “PCO connections at Panchayat Level” referred to in the question refers to the Village Public Telephone (VPT).The provisioning of Village Public Telephone facility in the villages is being done as per the directions of USOF, DOT. Accordingly work was awarded to BSNL in November 2004, by USOF, to provide Village Public Telephone [VPT] facility in 66,822 accessible, undisputed and undisturbed Villages inhabited with population more than 100 as per census 1991 in the country. Out of these, 53,073 villages have already been provided with Village Public Telephone facility upto 29.2.2008.Remaining villages are to be provided with VPT facility progressively as per the terms and condition of the agreement. In Rajasthan State, 12,386 villlages were awarded by USOF for provision of Village Public Telephones (VPT), out of which 11,083 villages have been covered up to 29-2-2008.

The following difficulties are usually faced in providing telephone connections in rural areas:-

i) Non availability of cable pair in some cases especially in remote, hilly and thinly populated areas.

ii) Non availability of WLL signals in particular area.

iii) Disturbed law and order situation.

iv) Damage to primary cable mainly by highway authority at the time of digging for road widening affecting provision of new connections.

The following corrective measures are taken to provide the connection in rural areas:-

i) The underground cable is laid to make the area feasible.

ii) In hilly areas where laying of underground cable is not feasible, overhead lines are erected.

iii) BTSs are installed to make the area feasible on WLL.

(c) & (d) Telephone sets, in case of new telephone connections as well as VPTs, are being provided after inspection by the quality and assurance wing of BSNL. However, PCO machines are not being provided by BSNL in case of PCO connections.

(e) & (f) Does not arise in view of (c) & (d) above.