Telephone service restored in Quetta
Residents clear debris of a damaged house due to a heavy monsoon rainfall on the outskirts of Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan on July 5, 2022. Photo: AFP
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Sunday said that Telenor, Zong, Ufone and all internet services have been restored in Quetta city.
“Efforts are underway to restore the services in other flood-hit areas,” said a news release.
All Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) are providing free voice calls (On-net/same network to all their subscribers in flood-affected areas with zero and nil balance.
The Pakistani Telecom Company Limited (PTCL), Ufone 4G is providing free calls in flood-affected areas to establish connectivity among the affected people, their loved ones, and rescue personnel to facilitate relief activities.
Ufone 4G will provide free calls from the Ufone-to-Ufone network and on PTCL numbers in the flood-affected districts.
This initiative is valid for both prepaid and postpaid customers.
Ufone customers can avail of the facility by dialing *4375#.Telenor Pakistan is also offering free Telenor-to-Telenor calls in severely hit areas of the country so that residents can stay connected to their loved ones and reach out to authorities to seek help in these challenging times.
The facility will enable users who have zero balance or have run out of their bundles and packages, to make calls and stay connected.
Meanwhile, profiteers have also started taking advantage of the miseries of flood victims in Quetta as they sold LPG at Rs700 per kilogram besides raising the prices of tandoori roti (bread) to Rs50.
Due to closure of roads and damage to gas pipelines, Quetta is facing the crunch of LPG
Local residents are lining up outside LPG shops but the commodity is in short supply as well as expensive.
Taking advantage of the higher demand, the shopkeepers have increased the prices of gas which used to be sold at Rs150 kg and is now being sold at enormously high price of Rs600 to Rs700 per kilo.
Even the bread bakers have doubled the price of tandoori roti due to non-availability of gas.
The recent floods in Balochistan have washed away several gas pipelines owing to which the gas supply is suspended in many districts of the province.
On the other hand, the Balochistan government on Sunday formed an inquiry committee to find facts about the dissemination of a false message regarding alleged breach of Wali Tangi Dam which led to a panic situation between Saturday night and Sunday.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2022.