Jamshedpur, Sept. 6: A BSNL customer from Mahuldia in Maubhandar under Ghatshila subdivision, East Singbhum, received a bill of Rs 1,400 without making a single call from his phone.

Four months ago, Sanat Mahto was overjoyed after his dream of a telephone came true, thanks to the WLL (Wireless in Local Loop) connection which came free of cost. After a month, the joy turned into tension, as Sanat was handed a Rs 1,400 bill that, too, without making a single call.

Matters got worse when Sanat received another BSNL letter asking him to pay up Rs 600 as advance rental.

“How can I pay the bills? If I knew that I have to pay bills even without making a single call I would not have applied for it,” said Mahto.

When contacted general manager, BSNL (Jamshedpur), R.K. Mishra accepted that there was fault on their part. The problem cropped up due to some “communication” gap. “I found that WLL subscribers living in rural areas had given their home address in urban areas. As a result of which the bills were made in accordance with the tariff fixed for the urban areas,” said Mishra.

While talking to The Telegraph, the general-manager, admitted that in most cases, there was a glitch in the computer in the billing section.

Mishra added that the department was aware of the development and that a team of account officers from BSNL’s Jamshedpur office would be camping at BSNL’s Ghatshila exchange on September 12, where the team would be attending to every complaint.