(1) Man is gradually becoming International. His requirements for a Telephone Directory are better solved by International Internet Telephone Directory as well as by the Telephone Directory in CD-Roms which are all very cheap and convenient. The Requirement for a (Huge) Printed Telephone Directory is very limited. 

The Governments/the Departments should not argue that to make man International, he be provided with an International Printed Telephone Directory of all Countries. He may need a separate room in his house exclusively to keep such a printed Directory containing thousands of books. 

Man does not need a Printed International/National/State/District Telephone Directory. It would mean that the Indian concept/practice of issuing District wise Telephone Directory is a National Waste/Misuse of Public Fund. Very big District wise Telephone Directories supplied to villagers, and most of the people in the cities are developing as dumps.

What does a common man need in the case of Telephone Directory? 
A common man does need the Telephone Directory of his Village and Nearby Villages/Town. Telephone Numbers related to him but outside his Village stand purely as his Personal Requirement and he would register them in his Personal Books/Diaries as he do it for his various other matters. 
 
Personal Requirement and Public Requirement are however confused or misinterpreted today

(2) A common man may incidentally/ occasionally/ extraordinarily require the Telephone Number of a distant village, but within the District. It cannot be called as a General Public Requirement. Further, a man living in the border of a district is not benefited through the present District wise Telephone Directory as he cannot find the telephone details of his neighbour’s house or nearby village when they fall in another District. That is, a man living in the Border may require 2 or more Telephone Directories! Please see that this difficulty/problem caused by the Districtwise Telephone Directory has been well solved by the Village Type Directory described hereunder.

(3) The development in Communication Technology allow Man to find Telephone Details of distant people, from CD-Rom and/or Internet. This also nullifies the need for a huge printed district-wise telephone directory.

(4) As per the above, printing and publishing lakhs and crores of huge (District wise) Telephone Directories are a National Waste.

What is the General Requirement in regard to Telephone Directories? 
WHAT SHOULD BE THE STRUCTURE OF A TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, AS PER THE NEEDS OF TODAY.

A Telephone Directory shall contain 3 types of information described below 
as (a), (b) and (c), where in item (a) is to be must, (b) to be Selective and (c) NOT a must.

(a) The Telephone Details of Government Offices/ Public Utility, such as Police, Panchayath, Electricity/Water/Telephone Departments, Banks, Auditoriums, Post Offices, Hospitals, Schools and Colleges, etc.

(b) The Telephone Details of Public & Private Industries, and Prominent Public Utility Centres such as  Worship Centres,  Newspaper-Reporters, Printing Press, DTP-Centres, Dry-Cleaners, Travels, Courier & Parcel Services, Other Educational Institutions, Transport (Air/Railways/Ship/Boat/Road) etc.etc.

(c) The Telephone Details of the Subscribers.

In regard to Villages, in addition to (a) and (b) above, (c) also shall be included in a limited manner for a few years more. Later, that is after some years,  (c) to be avoided. A group of 4 or 5 Villages/Panchayaths and about 1 to 3 Towns depending upon those Villages/Panchayaths only need to be represented in a Telephone Directory.

A true model for this type of Telephone Directory has already been published by the Kerala Telephone Users Association, in May 2002,  4 copies of which were then presented to the General Manager/Pathanamthitta SSA.
 (The Prices for the Directory were/are as follows: (1) Selling Price to Public: Rs. 30/-, (2) Printed Price : Rs.40/-, [A few sold at this price too] (3) Selling Price to Shops and STD-Booths: Rs. 25/-, (4) Selling Price to Unemployed: Rs. 20/-. We sell mainly thru (4).   Unquote:(Since the BSNL announced Publication of Telephone Directory, to dispose our stocks, we sell now @ Rs.10 & Rs.12 to the Agents and @ Rs. 20/- to the Public since September 2002) . Quote: If we get governmental support, we were/are able to collect more advertisements and sell the directory at more reduced prices or at free. (Local advertisements would benefit not only Local Establishments but also the people to have the details of those establishments which they may/would require at every now and then).

In regard to Cities and Metropolitan Cities, Two types of Telephone Directories are to be issued. 1. Without item (c) above. 2. With item (c) above.

(b) is to be Selective. Only Prominent Names and the names of established Honest Services should be included. Those who require item (c) shall register with the Telephone Department or the concerned Public Service Department and should pay for it. The Authority need to print only a little above the Number of Registries for item (c).

Not to allow Public Fund wasted for Unwanted Services which are factually NOT Public Requirements though considered to be.

It is explained above what kind of Telephone Directory is required by the People calling for re-structuring the Telephone Directory in all respects. It  would save our National /Public Wealth.

To locally update the Internet Telephone Directory.

Though it is shameful to say that the Internet Telephone Directory Details presented by our Telecom Department are not updated for many months which in turn give many wrong or NO information, it is praiseworthy that the Department managed to establish the Internet Telephone Directory.

The Chief Planning Engineers in the Telephone Department and the Governments are obliged to establish International Links in the matter of Telephone Directory so that a few (internet) mouse-clicks would enable one to have the Telephone Details of Everybody on Earth.

Further, the Engineers/BSNL/Government shall develop Necessary Software* so that Each Telephone Exchange could enter into the ‘FTP of their respective Telephone Exchange in the Telephone Directory Web Site’; and modify (only) their portion of Web site, at any time at their convenience, which would allow all the People on Earth to have the correct details internationally at every moment/day. (* if not already developed).

People should enjoy the chance to download (from the Internet) the Complete Telephone Details of any Telephone Exchange except the Military-connected Telephone Exchanges.

 

Printing & Publishing of Telephone Directory to be done by Telephone Users Association/Grama Panchayath

A Telephone Directory is a Public Requirement. The Printing & Publishing of the Telephone Directory should not rest with the Telephone Department. Let the Department do better matters connected with the Quality of their Services at more cheaper rates to the Public, etc. The Printing & Publishing of Telephone Directory should rest with the respective Grama Panchayath or with the Local Office of the Telephone Users Association so that they would ascertain the local requirement of the same and fulfil it.

It is not right if we do not say herein atleast a little about the Pathanamthitta Telephone Directory. The wisemen know that in these years, the District Telecom Management did a lot for the overall development of the Communication Activities in the District. The Number of Telephone Lines and Exchanges... STD Facilities.....Number of Public Telephone Booths....Internet Facilities.... Service matters....etc. increased a lot. The present management as well as the General Manager took interest in the development and they deserve praise. However, in the case of Telephone Directory, the PTA SSA failed to issue a Telephone Directory after 1999. One printed in 2000 turned out to be a Loss in many respects and had to be hidden without publishing due to the large volume of errors. Thus many lacs of Public Money lost for a hidden Directory 2000. The Public have been spending much Energy, Money, Time, etc. to get Telephone Directory. The Newspapers also have spent much space, energy, etc. for these kinds of matters.

The Telecom/BSNL have been receiving many heaps of complaints and requests in this subject for long - but failed to transfer this responsibility to Telephone Users Associations/Grama Panchayaths. Perhaps, nobody in the Department or Panchayath has time to think for the scientific remedy.

Now, it is learnt that the PTA-SSA is hastily involved in tendering/printing and publishing District-wise Telephone Directory to all its consumers in PTA-SSA.

As can be seen in the Annex, regarding the BSNL Tender for 4 lakh copies of Telephone Directory for Trivandrum SSA, the situation is continuing without incorporating the timely changes. It can be well presumed that the situation is undergoing all over India.

May we request you to kindly study/verify our explanations in the subject given above, and if our explanations are found true & scientific, please issue  necessary orders as to stop wasting Public Fund.  NOT to publish District-wise Telephone Directory, but encourage/participate only in Real Public Requirements such as the Village-Type Telephone Directory.

 

RELATED WITH PAYMENT TO OUR SERVICES

With the Blessings of GOD, Shri. Badsha  worked a lot in a very short span of time, which are in fact to be done by the Planning Departments of the Governments/BSNL, etc. His works falls not only as Public Services but also as assisting the Governmental Services/Depts. His works are to be considered also as assisting the BSNL/Governments, etc. in fulfilling the genuine requirements of the people, to assist in evaluating many matters in between the General Public and the Telephone Department, in Divine/Scientific terms. As he has  presented everything divinely/scientifically, he believes, in the name of GOD, that, if not Today, Time/History would approve this Report / Petition will be honoured/implemented Tomorrow.

Since he is financially starving very much, he would like to be paid for his Services if the contents are fully/partly absorbed by the Government/ the Hon'ble Courts.
Our explanations for Re-structuring the Telephone Directory in All India Level alone would save more than a Thousand Crores of Rupees per Year for the Nation.Hence it  is only fair if your goodselves pay us a few lakhs of rupees against our Divine Advices. Since our Advices/Statements are Divine, be informed that half of your payment will be distributed to the Poor & the Deserved.

May God Bless BSNL Management & Staff to live Good and to serve the people Better. 
May GOD bless everybody on Earth with Truth, Duties & Virtues, and Justice.

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

P.K.M. Badsha
Shah Bhavan/Kottamukal Junction/ Adoor P.O. 691 523
Keralam, India
Web site: www.omsathyam.com
E-mail: sathyams@sancharnet.in

 

P.S. Kindly visit Part 9 of the Web site www.omsathyam.com for the Divine/Scientific Solution to any complicated problem on Earth or write to the undersigned in his E-Mail Address: sathyams@sancharnet.in