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FAISALABAD, May 5: The facility of two-way cable system in the district is a matter of seeing and believing.
This was stated by Paknet Limited (subsidiary of PTCL) Chief Executive Moeen Sadiq Malik while talking to Dawn here on Sunday.
He said the introduction of technology would improve the quality of television and offer online talking facility to the people.
The Paknet had already accomplished its framework for launching the technology of internet dualization, he said, adding the facility would change socio-economic status of people in the remote areas.
He said the techniques were being perused for connecting the radio to internet and doing away with the wireless system.
He maintained Pakistan would lead the countries in the developing world by making the maximum of the technology.
To promote the use of internet, he said, the government had taken various steps and the connection fee of ISDN had been decreased from Rs40,000 to 25,000. The internet rates had also been reduced drastically, he added.
He told this correspondent that the internet facility had been provided in 568 small and big cities while 400 dealers had been appointed for marketing.
Income from internet had gone up manifold, he said, adding the earning was likely to go up to Rs40 million per annum from Rs25 million.
The official claimed internet had become a great source of information and a convenient way to acquisition of knowledge. Universities or colleges could take advantage a great deal by offering course and their details online.
The Paknet was making every possible effort to promote information technology in various parts of the country, he said. He believed literacy rate could be enhanced through bringing an educational change and evolving various programmes on internet.
Starting commercial operation in Jan 2000, Paknet became one of the leading internet service providers in the country, he claimed.
Mr Malik said the organization was currently offering internet facility, data communication services, like clear channel data links, frame relay and digital circuits on optical fibre cross connect system.
He said the PTCL was running its internet division through its region by the name of Public Data Network (PDN). In December 1999, the PDN region was dissolved and all the assets and liabilities were transferred to the Paknet Limited, he added.
EMBEZZLEMENT: The members and officials of the six market committees of the district are involved in extortion of money and other malpractices, a group of commission agents and growers alleged on Sunday.
Talking to newsmen here, they said that the officials and elected members of market committees of Faisalabad, Jaranwala, Samundari, Tandlianwala, Chak Jhumra and Saddar were collecting various fees from the growers, vendors, commission agents and shopkeepers but enter far less amount in the official record.
They further said that the officials were embezzling market committees’ funds with impunity and with the patronage and connivance of some high-ups of the local administration.
“The farmers and the commission agents have to pay forced taxes to the inspectors and other officials of the market committees, and on refusal, they are being penalized on one pretext or the other,” they added.
According to them, almost all green and grain markets in the six tehsils of the district were littered with heaps of garbage.
Expressing grave concern over the sorry state of affairs of the vegetables and fruits markets, they urged Punjab Governor Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool (retired) to immediately constitute a high-level committee to check the embezzlement and other malpractices of the officials and elected members of the market committees.
KILLED: A labourer was killed by his employer over monetary dispute in Ghulam Muhammadabad here on Sunday.
Hameedur Rahman exchanged hot words with factory contractor Altaf Ahmad over Rs300. Ahmad spanked Rahman with an iron rod.
The injured was taken to the nearest hospital where he breathed his last.
Area police have registered a case against the accused.
