Siliguri, March 23: Public telephone booth owners today said Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) should help them tide over the crisis caused by the increase in the number of landline and mobile phone customers.

Backed by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in North Bengal (Focin), the apex trade association body, telephone booth owners today met S.N. Banerjee, the general manager of BSNL, Siliguri Telecom district and handed over a list of demands.

Booth owners have asked the department to let the kiosks function as a single window, through which they can accept payments of telephone bills and also sell several telecom products like ITC card, SIM card, mobile phones, wireless telephones and BSNL mobile recharge vouchers against a certain percentage of commission.

“We have asked the department to waive the additional security deposit and increase our commission from 20 to 40 per cent,” said Amitabha Datta, the president of Darjeeling District Telephone Booth Owners’ Association.“If the BSNL can extend a number of facilities to phone booths in Calcutta, why can't they do the same here,” said Biswajit Das, the Focin general secretary.

“STD/ISD/PCO booths came up in every corner of both urban and rural areas, not only with a view to improving communication, but also to provide employment to the youths. But after a period of time, the number of landline and telephone users increased manifold, which lessened the utility of the public booths. People can now ring up places as far as Calcutta from their homes,” Das, said.

“The problem is so acute that booth owners are not being able to realise the basic minimum amount that they have to pay to the BSNL,” he added.

Banerjee said he had received the list of demands which he would forward to the higher authorities of the BSNL.