March 8, 2002	Friday	Zilhaj 23, 1422

KARACHI, March 7: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company has failed to distribute telephone directories to its 800,000 plus subscribers even after a lapse of eight months.

Well-placed sources told Dawn on Thursday that at least 350,000 telephone directories had been gathering dust in various PTCL exchanges in the city. They added that the phone utility had printed 700,000 telephone directories to be distributed to its subscribers.

They added that the reason why the PTCL had failed to distribute the telephone directories was that linemen, who were tasked to distribute the directories, were reluctant to carry sets of directories — each set weighing more than five kilogramme — for Rs5 whose disbursement would be made in the future.

“A lineman cannot carry more than three sets of directories. For carrying so much load he is paid Rs15 only. He can obviously make money by disposing of these directories in a more profitable manner,” they said.

In June last year the PTCL had announced that it would issue a new telephone directory after a gap of five years. The directory would consist of three sets and would be delivered to PTCL subscribers free of charge by linemen. It also promised, somewhat too solemnly, that it would continue to print telephone directories from next year on an annual basis.

However, shortly afterwards a “well-intentioned” reason prevented the PTCL from issuing new telephone directories. When the PTCL backpedalled on its promise, it sheepishly conceded that “previously the new directory had entries up to March 31, but under the directives of the PTCL chairman the entries have been carried up to June 2001. This has meant extra work. Now the directory will come out in the first week of August 2001”.

In August the PTCL duly received the second lot of 100,000 telephone directories from two printing presses. Soon it dawned on the phone utility that new phone directories must contain contact numbers of the Nazims. Few people could quarrel with the nobility of the PTCL’s intentions, yet the decision meant another inevitable delay.

A PTCL spokesman said: “The Nazims representing the local government took an oath of their offices on Aug 14. We thought that it was in the interest of the public that the new telephone directories contained the contact numbers of the Nazims. You cannot criticize us for making it convenient for the public to contact their elected representatives.”

He claimed that the PTCL distributed 5,000 telephone directories every day from some 40 exchanges. He said: “If any subscriber has a complaint about non-delivery of telephone directories, he can contact the PTCL on a toll-free number 0800- 00800.”

COMPACT DISC: The PTCL has issued the data of the three- volume directory in a compact disc (CD) containing all telephone numbers of Karachi.

A spokesman for the phone utility told Dawn that the CD could be purchased for Rs70 at the office of the general mana