KARACHI: A consumer court on Wednesday issued notices to the chief executive officers of four cellular service provider companies over disruptions in their services in areas around city courts and high court.

Judicial Magistrate Saifullah Phulpoto of the Consumer Protection Court (South) directed the counsel of Jazz, Ufone, Telenor and Zong to submit their respective replies before Dec 23, the next date of hearing.

The magistrate also clubbed together other individual complaints filed by the Karachi Bar Association and lawyers for a joint hearing on the next date.

Advocate Sardar Liaquat Ali Gabol, who filed the complaint under Section 20 of the Sindh Consumer Protection Act, 2014 cited the CEOs of Jazz, Ufone, Telenor and Zong as defendant.

He submitted that the defendant companies were under obligation to provide smooth and uninterrupted cellular services to their consumers.

However, he alleged that the cellular service of these four companies mostly remained disrupted in the areas of the Sindh High Court and the City Courts from 9am till 7pm, which is a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.

He argued that such disruption of services was badly affecting the staff, lawyers as well as their clients, which amount to disrupting the process of dispensation of justice.

He claimed that these companies had not installed their signal towers both at the high court and district courts.

He said that their officials had not visited these places for the purpose of inspection of signals strength despite lodging numerous complaints over the months.

He pleaded to the court to direct the defendants to improve their services at the high court and city courts by installing their mobile towers to ensure smooth and uninterrupted services to their consumers in these localities.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2022