HEADLINES
JOBS
DISCUSS
POLICY POLICE
ARCHIVES

TRAI refuses to buckle under over tariff revision

The government has refused to comment on the new tariff proposals notified in the gazette by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, ignoring the Central government's directive to keep its orders in abeyance, causing confusion about the enforcement of the new tariffs.

T O D A Y

• New telecom policy • Cable and TV Act • Internet gateway • Tariff trouble • IBM's India strategy

''The government and Parliament are seized of the matter,'' Minister of Communications Jagmohan said and declined to offer further comments on it.

When asked for his reaction to the notification, Telecommunications Secretary Anil Kumar pleaded ignorance about it.

Ministry sources, however, confirmed that the gazette notification dated March 15 about the new tariff proposals made by TRAI on March 9 have been circulated among private telecom companies.

In its March 9 orders, the TRAI had announced a steep hike in the telecom rental and call rates and drastic cut in the STD and ISD rates. The hike was resented by various political parties and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee had threatened a boycott of the Parliament session by her party MPs, following which Jagmohan had asked the TRAI to hold its orders in abeyance.

Earlier:

• Jagmohan sticks to his guns on tariff revision issue
• TRAI challenges objections to tariff revision
• Telephone tariff hike order put on hold
• New phone tariff makes local calls, rentals expensive

Tell us what you think