Say they're forced to pay two-thirds of their collective income of Rs 1.5 crore a month as cuts to NGO and service provider, who helped them set the booths up
Say they're forced to pay two-thirds of their collective income of Rs 1.5 crore a month as cuts to NGO and service provider, who helped them set the booths up
The city's disabled phone booth owners, whose business has already been thwarted by the all-pervasiven wave of cell phones, may be at the receiving end of another wrong. They are allegedly being harassed by their patrons for 'cuts', and their extortionate activities are allegedly bleeding the operators of Rs 1.5 crore every month.
Almost right after their booths become operational, many of them have to part with two-thirds of their monthly income -- a third goes to some tainted officials of the telephone service provider, and an equivalent dividend is forked out to the NGO which facilitated the installation of their booths.
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Threatened: Phone booth owner Shambunath said that he has received
threats from the police for not paying the hafta. Pic/Mahesh Chafe
The provider is Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and the NGO is Vijay Merchant Rehabilitation Centre. The two have been taking 'cuts' from the physically-challenged persons running public telephone booths. MiD DAY investigations indicate that the daily earnings are split three ways, for the MTNL officials, the NGO, and the booth owner. Upto 2005, on an average, booth owners earned Rs 30,000 per month. "But now, as everyone carries a cell phone, our income has decreased to Rs 15,000. But we are forced to divide up the profits into three," informed Ramshabd Pandey, who operates a booth outside Churchgate station.
Since the NGO has 1,500 such booths under its patronage, by the 'rule' of thirds, both the MTNL officials and the NGO each get Rs 75,00,000 lakh per month, collectively depriving the operators of Rs 1.5 crore of their monthly income. Some of the MTNL officers secretly co-own the booths and forcibly retain profits. (MiD DAY has a copy of the 'deed of the partnership' between MTNL officers and booth owners). The matter came to the fore last month when Malad-based booth owner Shambhunath Girijashankar Tiwariu00a0 (38), who is physically challenged, complained (copy with MiD DAY) to the Social Welfare Ministry. Reportedly, a complaint was also forwarded to the Mumbai police commissioner.
Whistleblower Tiwari claimed that he is now receiving threats from the local police station of the area where his booth is located, to withdraw the complaint. The trouble for most of the physically-challenged booth owners begin around six months after the booth is allotted to them, when a couple of MTNL officials and NGO members start pressurising them for a monthly cut, claimed one such affected booth owner Dayaram Shukla.
Moreover, he claimed, earlier they paid Rs 300 per month to the NGO for maintenance of the booth. But over the last few years, the organisation stopped paying attention to the maintenance work. A majority of booth owners are accusing MTNL employee VS Waghmare for masterminding the scam. His key associate has been identified as Kamal Nayan Singh, who has recently opted for voluntary retirement. The booth owners claimed Singh alone has been collecting hafta from 22 booths.
The accounts officers and other members of the MTNL claim a share in the booty. "Three years have lapsed and we have not received a single paisa from the booth. The NGO and MTNL officials forcibly take all our income. They grab our entire day's earnings and pass on a third of the income to us," said Tiwari's brother, Bholanath. Last year, Tiwari refused to pay the cut to the NGO and MTNL officials, citing that his income had waned because of the expanding network of mobile phones, that have obviated the need for phone booths. Soon after he took the stand, he started getting the threat calls from the local police station for refusing to pay up the money. "I received several calls from the police to settle the matter with Singh and Waghmare," said Shambhunath.
Allotment process for booths
First, the handicapped person needs to acquire the following documents:
1) Handicapped certificate from the Social Welfare Department or All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AIIPMR) at Haji Ali.u00a0
2) Employment Registration Certificate.
3) Health Certificate, and
4) Ration card
After procuring these, the person may request either the NGO or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a booth. Within 15 days, the NGO allots a public booth of 4x4 square feet. The handicapped can set up a PCO, STD, ISD, FAX, XEROX, lamination and typewriter booth with no additional charges to be paid to the NGO or the BMC.
The other side
While the NGO's supervisor said she will look into the matter, the accused MTNL officials, claimed that they are innocent, in fact, all they "wanted to do was help the needy booth operators, but our kind deeds have backfired." "The allegation is false. Our NGO does not take money in this manner. I don't know about MTNL, but we have not received any complaint till now. I will investigate the allegations, and check with the trustees. If any one is found guilty, they will be punished. I am willing to personally meet the booth owners," said Smita Deshmukh, who has been running the NGO since 2004, after the death of her father, Vijay Merchant.
"I had helped the needy booth operators with getting permissions and installing instruments and line connections. I had given them money at the time the booths were being installed. It was this money that they have given me back. We are not taking any cuts," said V S Waghmare. "I helped them at the time they were taking permissions for starting the booths. I also helped them installing instruments and line connections. My kind deeds have backfired," said Kamal Nayan Singh.
Meanwhile, C A Wadimani, deputy general manager (DGM), MTNL, said, "I looked into the matter and found that Waghmare had been posted in our department. He is a clerk and a union leader. I did hear that he was in a controversy with booth owners. But lately, booth owners have been surrendering their booths, as they do not fetch enough profits. Then how is it possible for anyone to make money out of such a lean situation?" he said.
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