Pahalgam residents urge BSNL to set up telephone exchange

KT NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, Feb 9: The residents of the Sallar Pahalgam have requested the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) authorities to set up a telephone exchange in the area so that the area comes on the telecommunication map of the state.

A delegation of the people of the area which visited the office of The Kashmir Times today said that the Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) phones which have been provided to the villagers are not functioning properly and they remain out of order on frequent basis.

"It is a pity that we cannot contact out relatives located in our vicinity at Anantnag, Bijbehara or Pahalgam and not to talk of contacting the relatives located in Srinagar or other districts of the valley" said one of the residents while narrating the sorry state of telecom facilities in the area.

The area of Sallar is located on the Bijbehara Pahalgam road and is located 21 kilometers from Bijbehara as well as Pahalgam.

They residents of Sallar added that a BJP leader hailing from Srigufwara had recently in a public meeting said that two telephone exchanges have been allotted to Sallar and Mathend, but one wonders why the action is lacking in this regard.

The leader had added that an amount of Rs.

2.25 crores have been allocated for setting up of these exchanges, but on ground no action whatsoever has been taken.

People of the area have urged the authorities to set up the exchanges so that they feel that they are a part of the current telecom boom, where the mobiles are ruling the roost in the contemporary world, even in the Kashmir valley.