VADODARA, May 26: The Vadodara Telecom District office has announced that it will release nearly 5,000 telephone connections from its new Nizampura Exchange by October 1998. The 6000-line Nizampura Exchange, which is expected to be ready soon, would come as a relief to those in the Sama, Chani Jakatnaka, Nizampura, Fatehgunj, Pratapgunj, Pandya Hotel and ST Depot areas who have been awaiting their telephone connections since 1992.Frustrated by the departmental delay in clearing their applications, residents of these areas had approached Bharatiya Janata Party workers from Ward-12 Jayantibhai Patel, Bhupendrasingh Aluwalia, Hasmukh Patel and Mahesh Patel and submitted a memorandum to DoT General Manager Rakesh Babu on March 19, 1998. They demanded an explanation for being deprived of telephone connections. The problem was also addressed by MP Jayaben Thakkar and Minister for Civil Supplies Jaspal Singh.
Speaking to Express Newsline, GM Rakesh Babu said, ``The waiting list could not be cleared, as there was no further capacity in the existing Fatehgunj exchange.''
In a reply to the memorandum, submitted by the wait-listed applicants, Public Relations Officer Y Kulkarni said that as it was not possible to install a new exchange in the existing Fatehgunj exchange building, the department had decided to construct a new building in Nizampura. ``But the exchange could not start because of the delay in acquiring the required equipment,'' he added.
However, Babu said the department has cleared the waiting list as on March'98. Following the completion of the Nizampura exchange by June-July, telephone connections for the 4,000 wait-listed applicants among others will be progressively released by October. STD facility would also be extended on demand following the opening of the exchange.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
