Notices issued to PTCL on petition against new tariffs
The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and others on a petition that challenged the increase in local call tariffs and the ‘imposing’ of the ‘Pakistan Package’ on consumers by the PTCL.
Petitioner Kaukab Iqbal, who is also Chairman of the Consumer Association of Pakistan, moved against the PTCL’s new tariffs submitting that the PTCL announced the Pakistan Package in November last year and automatically added Rs199 in the monthly bill for the facility, which allowed unlimited NWD calls of PTCL to PTCL and PTCL to V phone, despite giving an ‘offer’ to its more than 5 million consumers to ‘choose’ this facility.
His counsel Javed Chattari contended that the PTCL could offer its package to the consumers but it could not impose the so-called tax on them.
He submitted that the PTCL also announced a new package on April 1 to revise its local call plus duration from 5 minutes to 2 minutes for peak hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 4 minutes for peak hours from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. with effect from April 1, which is against the assurance of the government after privatisation of the PTCL that services would be provided to consumers on cheap rates.
The petitioner prayed the court to declare that the act of the respondent is illegal as no notices were issued to the consumer while introducing such packages and to restrain them from imposing the Pakistan Package on the consumers and to change it into offer for the consumers. He also prayed the court to direct the respondent to recall its revised time durations issued on April 1.
SHC’s division bench comprising Justice Azizullah M Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Z Kazi, after preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to PTCL, PTA and others for May 22 and called for their comments.
Source: The News
Date:5/16/2008
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