Careless people

THE new telecom bill has caused a storm in a teacup. These days it seems it’s being discussed more than the budget, though far less than Iran, the US and the blessed talks. But a local scandal will always trump foreign policy for hacks in the country. Many of us are just thrilled that like many other stories this has also not been declared a red line — in other words an issue better left unaddressed. TV these days has more no-go areas than the Karachi of yesteryears. So for those who may have not paid attention, the government has put together a bill, which if passed, would have allowed telecom companies to lay fibre cable and put up towers wherever they wanted. Citizens, property owners and housing societies would have had little option of saying no. It is a power similar to the ones usually enjoyed by governments to acquire land. The draft gave the companies the right to access public and private properties to install towers and lay fibre cables. The owner cannot refuse to provide access; and owners can even be fined for obstruction or delay. According to the bill, “the licensee shall seek the approval of the owner, lessee, or tenant of the relevant property, land, or premises for the proposed mode of execution through registered mail and courier service”. Once the telecom bill caught the media’s attention, everyone started evading responsibility. The licensee can send a reminder in 15 days if there’s no reply, and a month after the first letter, the request will be assumed to have been approved. In the case of public land and housing societies and in the case of individuals, it will be referred to the ‘appropriate’ government, rather than a court. Though why anyone needs to be worried about the courts these days is intriguing. Equally serious are the fines involved. The government has the power to fine anyone for obstructing or delaying telecom access. But, there is no definition of what comprises obstruction or delay. The bill has also given the power to appoint