PTCL workers' strike has badly disrupted the inquiry and help line services causing a number of problems to the consumers. Other help lines including Police help line 15, Rescue 1122 and Edhi Foundation have also remained disconnected.
The PTCL workers have cut the help line 1217 and 1218 and emergency services of 15 and 1122 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi while the complaints for repair of defected telephone lines remained unattended due to strike which entered the seventh day.
Rescue service 1122 in Murree was also badly hit leading to closure of its emergency Control Room. The Rescue 1122 experts made all out efforts to activate the emergency numbers but proved in vain as no repair work has been carried out so far.
Moreover, the problem has also affected Rawalpindi control room where three PTCL lines are also out of order. Faults in landlines of various hospitals and other government departments have been reported as well.
On the other hand, the leaders of the PTCL workers' unions who had given deadline of Friday to the management to meet their demands have threatened to jam the entire PTCL system any time without any prior notice.
They said that talks could not be held with the management as it put condition of calling off strike before negotiations. He said the PTCL unions' leaders have turned down this condition hence no headway was made.
On the other hand, the Special Cabinet Committee on PTCL could not meet due to ministers' visit to Sindh. When this scribe tried to contact the members of special cabinet committee, no one was available for comments.