Consumer groups said they could seek a review of the Supreme Court decision to scrap the TRAI regulation on call drops, which has left them in the lurch with no respite on improving quality of service.

Abhishek Srivastava, Chairman of Lucknow-based Consumer Guild, said the organisation will rally all consumer groups together and seek a review by the apex court. “Consumer groups should work together in tackling this situation. We can even appeal for a review,” he said.

BusinessLine spoke to number of consumer groups and all of them termed the ruling as a “setback”.

“It is a setback for consumers,” said Ashim Sanyal, COO and Secretary of New Delhi-based consumer group Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education. “Operators are more interested in selling the service than investing in new technology,” he added.

George Cheriyan, Director of Jaipur-based Consumer Unity and Trust Society, said: “Consumers are at a loss. Who will compensate them? TRAI has a responsibility to consumers. Regulators had taken a real decision after studying consumers’ needs.”

M Sekaran, President of Tiruchirappalli-based Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations, stressed on the need for a separate redressal committee to handle consumer grievances on telecom services. “Eighty per cent of consumers use mobile phones. Individual consumers cannot approach TRAI,” he said

According to S Saroja, Director of Citizen, Consumer and Civic Action Group, based in Chennai, “Service providers now study the economic viability of complainants coming to them. They install boosters based on those customers who are more economically viable.”

(The writer is interning with BusinessLine)

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