CHITRAL, Oct 16: The local franchise holder of PTCL Wireless Local Loop service is selling the WLL connections and phone sets in black market and charging Rs2,750 instead of the fixed rate of Rs2,000.

The calling cards of WLL of Rs300 denomination are sold at Rs350. The dealer has not yet opened its office and just put up a signboard on one of the rooms of his hotel.

In May, the franchisee had started collecting Rs5,000 as registration fee from customers but Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali MNA raised the issue in the National Assembly. A strong notice was taken by the ministry concerned and the contract was cancelled but later restored.

The WLL system is covering almost 100 per cent area of the district and a large number of people in remote areas are purchasing the sets at an exorbitant price. Talking to Dawn on telephone from Peshawar, Maulana Chitrali told that he would again raise the issue in the assembly to save his electorates from what he called ‘robbery’.