Summary A parliamentary panel on Monday said that PTA has failed to deliver as a regulatory body.
ISLAMABAD: Annoyed over delay in 3G auction and failure to curb grey-trafficking in the country, a parliamentary Panel on Monday said that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has failed to deliver as a regulatory body.
National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology met with Ch Barjees Tahir in the chair and strongly expressed its annoyance over the role of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to auction 3G technology and to curb grey trafficking from the country.
Standing committee said that PTA has failed to hold 3G auction in the country for the third time and country has been deprived of huge amount through auction.
Ch Barjees Tahir said that chairman PTA hired consultant on his own and paid 10 million rupees in advance and later on cancelled the contract. This is a very strange step beyond understanding.
Standing committee said that they warned PTA from the very first day that auction process of 3G is not transparent that has been proved today.
Member technical Dr Khawar said that Chairman PTA has done all this on his personal capacity therefore all the responsibility lies with him. Officials told that not even a single penny has been paid to the consultants.
Standing committee recommended that Chairman PTA Farooq Awan is responsible for delay in the auction and if any amount was paid to the consultants then it should be collected from the account of Chairman PTA.
Standing committee was also annoyed over the role of PTA in elimination of grey trafficking from the country which is yielding into loss of $1 billion per annum.
Chairman Ch Barjees Tahir said that PTA is reluctant to take action against influential people. He said that legal department of PTA is not performing well; rather it has failed to defend its cases on grey trafficking. Therefore court issued stay orders on cases of grey trafficking.
Secretary IT Amir Tariq Zaman admitted that PTA initiatives to reduce the grey trafficking are not sufficient and authority can only monitor 13% of the traffic.
Anusha Rehman said that grey traffickers are sitting in the power corridors and government departments are facilitating to grey trafficking in the country.
She said that if Ministry of Information Technology initiated its work diligently, country would have no need to go to IMF and other aid donor agencies.
Committee recommended officials of USF to give list of those companies who have been awarded contracts. Legislators said that FBR should also examine the business of USF.
Ch Barjees Tahir said that IT ministry and PTA have failed to run their business smoothly therefore Prime Minister should decide over it.
