Chandigarh, September 4
“Punjab videsh vich vasda hai”, says an advertisement of a cellular company, offering cheap calls to Canada and the US. With the ISD call rates to certain destinations falling to as low as one paisa per second, a virtual price war is on among major telcos to cash in on calls to Punjabis settled abroad. The latest to jump into this bandwagon is the state-owned BSNL, albeit with a higher tariff of six paise a minute, to select destinations.

While most wars have unhappy endings, this one is destined to leave the subscribers smiling all the way as gone are the days when making international calls used to dig a hole in one’s pocket. "I remember I used to pay over Rs 150 per minute in the 70s and 80s for making a call to the US and it was really painful to wait for the line to get through. And in just over a decade, the entire communication system has revolutionised and today I talk to my grandchildren in Canada at one rupee a minute," said RS Gupta, a septuagenarian, in Sector 8, Chandigarh.

Making calls through VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) on the Internet was always a cheaper option but now with the telecom companies using the same technology for their mobile phones, one doesn't have to depend on computers and Internet connections.

The price war on international calls from Punjab is a two-month old phenomena. It started with Tata Docomo slashing its prices by a whopping 83 per cent, bringing it down to one paisa a minute.

Vodafone, the second largest GSM operator, followed suit with similar rates to the US and Canada.

While both these companies have Punjab-specific plans for their subscribers, BSNL plans to launch its Universal India Telephone Card (ITC) at a slightly higher rate of six paise per second. With fierce competition from private players, the success of this card remains questionable in Punjab, but officials expect a "good" response from other parts of the country.

According to BSNL officials, this card will be applicable for pre-paid, post-paid and landline users at the same tariff of six paise per second. “The call charges will follow the per-second tariff plan in the price band of 6p/sec pulse to 45p/sec for all ISD calls while all STD and local calls (anywhere in India) will be charged at 1p/second,” the official said. The pre-paid ITC card, also known as Virtual Calling Card, enables the user to make STD, ISD or local calls from any GSM phone or BSNL landline phone.

Haste has been an evil that haunts most operators — government and private — in the complex civil aviation sector. The third longest runway and Terminal-3 have been created without adequately tackling multiple problems, particularly security and safety of men and property at the airport.

The government is now fully aware as the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, told the Lok Sabha that Indira Gandhi International Airport’s (IGIA) security was under ‘threat’ from east and west colony called Mehram Nagar.

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has been busy raising Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS). But the work is progressing at a snail’s pace for several technical and non-technical reasons. The red-tapism is also in operation. The entire project will not be completed until the end of the year.

Analysts, however, say erection of the boundary on a very long area will not eliminate ‘risk’ factor because thickly populated Mehram Nagar has been a hub of ‘undesirables’. Worldwide, it is said, criminals, despite intense business rivalries, live together under the protection of each other; they also grow and prosper under the protection of each other.

In the Mehram Nagar, there are certain sensitive establishments like Research Analysis Wing (RAW). The government will have to employ additional forces to maintain befitting security during Commonwealth Games and subsequently. The authorities, according to the analysts, should have taken adequate measures before Mehram Nagar turned a hub for criminals instead of waking up now. The evacuation or segregation of ‘undesirables’ is not free from hinderances.

According to a study, East Mehram lies within 50 yards from the boundary. There are clusters within clusters, as is routine in such colonies. People, including many working at the IGIA and nearby offices, move about freely. The main runway is around. There are similar weak zones here, as they existed around the old cargo complex.

The resumption of operations on the new runway, undergoing repair at present, will be possible at the nick of the time just before the rush of the teams start arriving. Rain has been villain, it is said. But rain or no rain, the civil aviation operation units have tendency to ‘wake up’ late.

As Frankfurt has not been a successful hub for Air India, there is every possibility of the national carrier use Terminal-3 as its hub. In the existing scenario, it is judicious to secure home advantage instead of depending on a foreign hub, which is very expensive exercise.

The national carrier’s financial health continues to cause concern and therefore switching to home environment will not only be economical but will also be judicious.

According to the analysts, Delhi is the best option. It is much better than having a hub in Frankfurt or Dublin or any other foreign country. The marketing and operation units are in favour of base in India, but politicians want a hub in foreign country. Why? The politicians refuse to answer.

Q: I will be obliged to know whether interest paid on tax saving fixed deposit of banks are exempted from tax.

— M. P. Dhakras