HYDERABAD, Feb 14: Without any prior notice to the subscribers, the PTCL here on Thursday started converting the flat rate telephone connections to digital ones.

It has come as a shock to the subscribers who had obtained telephone connections on fixed charges.

Initially, the subscribers were lured to get telephone connections at the fixed charges of Rs500 which was later increased to Rs860 without taking the consent of the subscribers.

And now the telephone department has taken a U-turn and started allotting digital numbers to the subscribers who know nothing about the abrupt change in the policy.

No consent has been sought from the subscribers whether they are willing to get their fixed charges telephone connections converted into digital ones.

Meanwhile, the director general, development, PTCL, Mohammad Arif, has said that the corporation was striving for providing maximum telecommunication facilities to the consumers by improving the communication system in the country.

He was presiding over a meeting of the officials of the corporation here on Wednesday.

He said that development schemes worth Rs5.3 billion were being started in Sindh and Balochistan during the current year and efforts would be made to provide maximum telephone connections in small towns under digital system so that people were provided Internet facilities.

THe director general of PTCL, Karachi south, Irfan Ali Khan, informed the meeting that Thatta, Sujawal, Talhar, Bhitshah, Tando Adam, Tando Allahyar, Gadap, Hyderabad SITE, Kotri SITE, Latifabad, Dumbalo and other areas were being provided additional lines for which development work has been started and the areas would be connected with the digital system soon.