MIANWALI, June 16: Many parts of this district are being linked with telephone but the people here opine that this area is being ignored by the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. This district having a population of more than one million had only 17,600 phone connections and many more applicants are on waiting list to get phones.

Currently, there are two Main Switching Unit (MSU) exchanges working at Mianwali and Liaquatabad. The MSU at Mianwali is controlling 15 remote line units at Abbakhel, Chakrala, Chak 5-DB, Isakhel, Daudkhel, Dhurnaka, Harnoli, Hafizwala, Qamar-Mushani, Kalabagh, Kundian, Musakhel, Mooch, Tarag and Wan-Bhachran.

It is strange that an RLU exchange at Shadia is controlled from Qaidabad, Khushab district. These exchanges need to be extended to feed more phone applicants.

Some parts of the district are connected with private branch exchanges. These exchanges often remain out of order for months and the reason given by the telephone staff is that its technical fault has never been indicated or traced at the main exchange, and that its repair is very difficult.

Another system known as Time Division Multiple Access is also working in 13 villages. Due to storms which are a common feature in the area, this system goes out of order for many days and creates difficulties for the staff trying to repair it.

Recently, Mianwali was connected with the optic fibre system for nation-wide dialling having an excellent speed of 622 mega bites per second. At the moment, two internet service providers are working here, namely POL and Paknet, and making handsome access for internet users.

Chashma is an important place in this district having mega projects. For the last two years, nearly 600 registered applications of phone-seekers from Chashma have been lying at the local office.

The reason for the delay, according to the department, is unavailability of phone cable to connect Chashma with Kundian exchange. On inquiry, the local office of DE phones claimed that they made persistent requests to their branch of the cable development region which was unmoved, and the same was the attitude of the digital development region, Islamabad.

Nowadays an interesting practice is in vogue. Whenever any phone is disconnected for non-payment of dues, it is quickly allotted to an applicant on the waiting list. Some time ago, an RLU exchange was approved for Chak 4-DB.

It is a central place having a large population. More than 300 applications were registered from here at the DE's office, Mianwali. Some machinery was also dropped there for installation, but it was mysteriously shifted and installed at Chak 5-DB, which was not a suitable place for an exchange and only a few phones were connected there.

The deprived people of Chak 4-DB have made persistent complaints to the high-ups in this respect. The telephone department announced that it would connect other chaks with the exchange of 5-DB, but the project could not materialize due to non-availability of the cable which is the standard excuse of the department to shut the mouths of applicants.

It needs an inquiry why the place of exchange was changed and at whose behest. An insider said the PTCL had given targets of new phone connections to each zone, and the Mianwali district achieved its target in a very short period. So the authorities are satisfied with their performance and deliberately ignoring the demands of fresh connections and supply of cable here.

A large number of phone seekers and social circles of Mianwali have urged PTCL to look into the problems of this area, expand the exchanges, provide cable and replace the faulty system.