Protests from residents

Chennai Telephones decision to close down the customer service centre in Nanganallur has evoked protests from residents.Residents of Nanganallur and nearby areas are protesting against Chennai Telephones' decision to shut down a customer service centre at Lakshmi Nagar.The decision to shift the centre to Madipakkam was made a month ago, Chennai Telephones officials say. They say the building was cramped and hence the decision to put up the facility in a spacious building.

Welcoming the move to open a customer service centre at Madipakkam, residents and civic groups at Nanganallur term the decision to close the Nanganallur facility "anti-people." The Nanganallur centre, which was opened in July 2005, caters to the needs of 15,000 subscribers of Pazhavanthangal, Nanganallur, Thillai Ganga Nagar and Adambakkam, and another 10,000 subscribers of Madipakkam and nearby areas.

Subscribers from these places used the centre for various services, including booking new phone, surrender of connection and applying for broadband Internet connection.According to office-bearers of the Lakshmi Nagar Civic Welfare Association, housewives and senior citizens were dependant on the centre. "If the Chennai Telephones wants to tone up its customer service, let them start more centres, instead of closing down the existing ones," says V. Rama Rao, secretary, Lakshmi Nagar Civic Welfare Association.

Senior engineers of the Chennai Telephones say the Nanganallur centre also catered for the subscribers at Madipakkam, Ullagaram-Puzhuthuvakkam, Keelkattalai and Nanmangalam.In fact, a centre was set up at Madipakkam to lessen the burden of subscribers in these areas, who had to travel all the way to Nanganallur.It would benefit around 10,000 subscribers.