Lok Sabha Question No. 831 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-26
Subject: Poor Services of MTNL
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Anto  Antony

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 831 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 TH  JUNE, 2019

## POOR SERVICES OF MTNL

## 831. SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) is on the verge of closure and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  any  statistics  regarding  the  existing  MTNL  landline connections and mobile phone connections and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether MTNL is providing new landline and mobile connections and if so, the details thereof  including  the  number  of  such  connections  provided  by  MTNL  during  each  of  the  last three years and the current year;
- (d) whether the Government has any record regarding number of employees working under MTNL, and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  employees  of  MTNL  are  not  getting  their  salaries  regularly  and  if  so  the details  thereof  and  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  in  this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) No  proposal  of  closure  of  Mahanagar  Telephone  Nigam  Limited  (MTNL)  is  under consideration.

(b) Details  of  existing  landline  and  mobile  phone  connection  of  MTNL  for  the  last  three years and current year are as under:

|          | MTNLSubscriber base   | MTNLSubscriber base   | MTNLSubscriber base   | MTNLSubscriber base   |
|----------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
| Services | 2016-17               | 2017-18               | 2018-19               | 2019-20 (upto Apr 19) |
| Landline | 34,62,374             | 33,46,568             | 32,43,640             | 32,34,283             |
| Mobile   | 36,27,320             | 35,57,060             | 34,53,223             | 34,49,053             |

(c) All  the  services  which  are  being  provided  by  MTNL  to  its  customer  are  available  on demand and there is no waiting list for any of the services.  Details of new landline and mobile connections provided by MTNL during the last three years and current year are as under:

|          | Gross connections Provided byMTNL   | Gross connections Provided byMTNL   | Gross connections Provided byMTNL   | Gross connections Provided byMTNL   |
|----------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Services | 2016-17                             | 2017-18                             | 2018-19                             | 2019-20 (upto Apr 19)               |
| Landline | 93,702                              | 67,586                              | 58,469                              | 3,356                               |
| Mobile   | 2,00,346                            | 1,30,775                            | 54,244                              | 5,360                               |

(d) A  total  of  21,679  employees  including  3,128  Executive  and  18,551  Non  Executive employees are working in MTNL.

(e) The salary to MTNL employees is being paid regularly.  There is a delay of some days in payment of salary in the last five to six months as funds were short due to mismatch in revenue inflows and liability outflows. At present, salary payment to its employees is not pending.

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