BSNL, Bharti get notice on verification

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued show-cause notices to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Bharti Airtel, after its sample survey found that the companies were offering cellular connections without proper verifications.

The survey conducted by the DoT found that the companies had "erred" on customer documentation verification.

In the notice issued to BSNL, the DoT has said that in a sample survey conducted in Chennai last month, it was found that about 3 per cent of the customers were issued connections without proper verification. The DoT surveyed 237 customer verification forms, of which only 229 were found to be correct.

Similarly, in a sample survey conducted in Bharti Airtel's Andhra Pradesh circle, it was found that around 50 per cent of the customers had not been properly verified. The DoT had surveyed 1,750 verification forms, of which only 878 forms were found to be correct.

The letter to BSNL was issued on May 16 and to Bharti Airtel on May 21.

The DoT has given the companies 15 days to submit their replies. If found guilty, the companies could face a penalty of Rs 1,000 per subscriber, as stated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

When contacted, BSNL Director (finance) SD Saxena said, "Immediate action will be taken in the matter and we will try to fulfil whatever the government asks."

Bharti Airtel President (mobile services) Sanjay Kapoor declined to comment but said, "We haven't seen the notice yet."

Last year, citing security reasons, the DoT had instructed all telecom operators to carry out re-verification of existing prepaid subscribers by March 31, 2007.