Off the grid: No landline or internet services for 10 days

Manager says repair work was underway and landline and internet connections would be restored in a few days’ time

MULTAN: Several residents of Clifton Colony, Nashaiman Colony, Buzdar Colony, Neelkot, and Galaxy Town gathered in front of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited offices in Multan on Tuesday and staged a demonstration. They said that the PTCL had not repaired phone lines of over 100 households.

The protesters held up placards and shouted slogans against the PTCL. They said their telephone lines had been out of order for the last 10 days. They said they had complained about the poor connection to PTCL several times but they had not repaired the lines.

Muhammad Imran, the owner of a mobile phone shop in Nashaiman Colony, said he had not had internet or landline service at his shop for 10 days. “Half of the work I do is on the internet…I have faced a loss of thousands of rupees because of PTCL’s poor service.”

Saleem Murtaza, a resident of Clifton Colony, said he had visited the PTCL office several times but the staff had not paid heed to his complaints.

Suleman Taimoor, an MPhil student living in Clifton Colony, said a working internet connection was crucial for his studies. “I need internet for research and my assignments have suffered over the last 10 days.”

PTCL spokesperson Imran Gardezi told The Express Tribune that they were trying to solve the problem. “I have forwarded the complaints to the Gulgasht business manager who looks into such complaints.” He said the business manager had assured him that repair work was underway and that landline and internet connections would be restored in a few days’ time.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2016.