SARGODHA, March 28: Telephone subscribers of the Iqbal Colony have complained of poor service provided by the exchange.

Information gleaned by this correspondent on Friday revealed that the Iqbal Colony exchange provided service to around 8,000 subscribers. However, it seems to be spending little on the maintenance of its cables and connecting holes, which are often filled with water.

A subscriber, Muhammad Aslam, complained that he had to face frequent disconnections while using the internet. Consequently, Aslam said, he had to bear an extra Rs500 or so in a month.

The complainant also said his friend was running a PCO and offered facsimile service, but was facing problems due to wet underground cables.

It is learnt that at least 5,000 subscribers are using the internet and fax machines through this exchange. Most of the net users said they had to pay additional money because of the poor quality of service. They alleged that the telephone exchange was extorting hundreds of thousands of rupees from the subscribers.

Meanwhile, Anjuman-i-Shehrian President Abdul Hameed Farhat has voiced his concern over poor service being provided by the PTCL.

He said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had been set up for the consumers’ welfare, but it had failed to redress complaints. He quoted a PTCL officer as saying that the company had not provided sufficient funds for maintenance of the cables.

He also alleged that the Iqbal Colony exchange authorities were favouring some Internet Service Providers by giving them direct connections from the exchange.

Mr Farhat has demanded the PTA to take stock of the situation and redress the subscribers complaints without delay.