Letters: The writing on the wall

With reference to the report, "Telcos to invest Rs 12,000 cr to check call drops" (June 11), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) deserves kudos for making efforts to find an amicable solution to the problem. But it is to the credit of the telecom companies that they have committed to invest Rs 12,000 crore in the next three months to install 60,000 towers that would hopefully solve the problem.

While telcos have come up with a multi-pronged strategy involving the use of technology to upgrade their network performance within 100 days, the Centre, too, has made known its plans to help them set up towers in consultation with local authorities and resident welfare associations. This apart, the DoT will launch an electromagnetic field portal within 30 days to assess the radiation levels of base stations in various residential areas, according to prescribed norms.

The telecom secretary's well-meaning observation that giving penal powers to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) cannot be the "one and final solution" for call drops should be a lesson for the overzealous telecom regulator, more so when its earlier direction to telcos to pay consumers for each dropped call was quashed by the Supreme Court.

But I fail to understand the Trai's rationale behind behaving like an "adjudicator" rather than a "facilitator". I wish the Trai sees the writing on the wall and abandons its provocative stance now that the DoT has taken a positive lead on the matter.

Kumar Gupt, Panchkula

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