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DOT and the North East
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Connectivity in Shillong is now worse than the pits. I have to dial up to
Delhi to connect! Thought I'd share my letter sent to DOT/ MIT recently.
For those who think that the NE region is needlessly in continously
rebellion, this can be an eye-opener. This would never have happened in
Bangalore/ Delhi/ Hyderabad. The NE is thoroughly 'screwed up' from all
angles. This letter was of course sent in my personal capacity as an
ordinary citizen of Our "Bharat Mahaan".
To, Sh. P. S. Saran,
Secretary to the Govt. of India,
Department of Telecommunication Services,
213, Sanchar Bhawan, 20 Ashok Road, New Delhi 110001
Subject Deplorable performance of Internet services provided by DOT, Shillong
Sir,
I am a subscriber of internet services provided by DOT, Shillong since
October, 1999. I am compelled to write this letter out of a sense of
frustration with the sheer callousness and inefficiency of your Department
in Shillong, whereby it has become meaningless to discuss the matter any
longer with local officials whose statements are completely unreliable and
who perhaps do not know the meaning of commitments made to the public, nor
the meaning of customer service in lieu of money received.
Since the Internet connection has been giving trouble from the very
beginning, I discussed the issue with all the local senior officials here
who first said, in October, 1999 that the modem capacity of the Department
was being increased from November, 1999 before Puja Holidays. These
holidays came and went by without any sign of activity from the Department.
I spoke again and again with officers such as the two General Managers,
Chief General Manager, etc., and was informed that some machine was being
purchased and would be provided soon. This never happened within the time
frame stated by these officers and so I have stopped wasting my energy
talking to them.
In early April, 2000 the connections to the modems of DOT, Shillong
improved somewhat. However, internet speed and reliability of connection
dropped drastically immediately. The time has come now where neither it is
possible to make a connection most of the time, nor any work can be done on
the internet if and when connected. In addition:
(1) Many a time the modem hand-shake does not reach beyond the "user name"
at the time of log on. It just hangs there and does not receive any inputs.
If it reaches beyond "user name," it often does not recognize the
"password" and says "access denied".
(2) If it does go through this process, it frequently does not log on to
the network and disconnects within seconds or minutes.
(3) If it does fully connect, there is no data transfer and it again
disconnects on its own after a short while.
Getting disconnected about 40 times before getting a single a somewhat
clean, connection, is now the norm.
There is no competent support person designated by DOT who can be
contacted for this problem in Shillong. Some 4 phone numbers were given to
me when I first became a subscriber, but no one ever picks up those phones.
I have also got tired of communicating with a distressingly disinterested
department. There is also no literature provided on how to deal with
problems faced. Obtaining customer satisfaction seems to be of no concern
at all to the Department. Indeed, if at all Microsoft has to be disbanded
for monopolistic behaviour by US Government, the first thing we must
perhaps disband is DOT in India. I am convinced that this department has
gone well beyond the point when it gave positive utility to India.
I request you to look into the matter personally to help provide basic
internet services as per the subscription charges charged by your
department. The DOT is also possibly making an additional huge pile of
money by charging one local phone call for each unsuccessful attempt to log
on.
I would also ask you to direct the concerned officials to extend the
period of subscription by at least one year since there was virtually no
service provided these past seven months.
Yours faithfully,
(Dr. Sanjeev Sabhlok)
Copy to: -
1) The Secretary to the Govt. of India, Ministry of Information
Technology,6, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, N.Delhi - 3. Fax No. 4363134. He is
requested to take up with DOT about the shoddy service which was already
indicated to him by various Ministers in the NE meeting at Guwahati on
6.5.2000. It has been mentioned at page 12 in the booklet entitled
"Programmes in North Eastern States", circulated by MIT on that day that
"It is understood that the DOT is presently providing datacom facility to
most of the North Eastern states. The DOT infrastructure would be
sufficient to meet the present requirements of the software industry in the
region". Obviously the DOT has drastically misled the MIT. With this kind
of service one can't even use e-mail, let alone dream of using e-commerce.
A region as backward as NE is being made even more backward by the poor
service being provided by the many GOI agencies here. My sympathy for - and
understanding of - the rebel movements in this region has being much
enhanced by observing the attitude of GOI officials who come here merely to
while away their tenures in this region and have nothing to offer but
excuses when one contacts them.
2) Chief General Manager, DOT, Shillong. He is requested to take some
action and provide at least some value for the lacs of rupees taken from me
and other subscribers from Shillong, failing which I shall have to take
recourse to legal action as an ordinary subscriber. It is also advised that
your department should not deliberately mislead MIT and the public into
thinking that there are adequate services being provided to the people of
NE states.
(Dr. Sanjeev Sabhlok)
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