Say they're forced to pay two-thirds of their collective income of Rs 1.5 crore a month as cuts to NGO and service provider, who helped them set the booths up

The city's disabled phone booth owners, whose business has already been thwarted by the all-pervasiven wave of cell phones, may be at the receiving end of another wrong. They are allegedly being harassed by their patrons for 'cuts', and their extortionate activities are allegedly bleeding the operators of Rs 1.5 crore every month.

Almost right after their booths become operational, many of them have to part with two-thirds of their monthly income -- a third goes to some tainted officials of the telephone service provider, and an equivalent dividend is forked out to the NGO which facilitated the installation of their booths.

Threatened: Phone booth owner Shambunath said that he has received
threats from the police for not paying the hafta. Pic/Mahesh Chafe

The provider is Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and the NGO is Vijay Merchant Rehabilitation Centre. The two have been taking 'cuts' from the physically-challenged persons running public telephone booths. MiD DAY investigations indicate that the daily earnings are split three ways, for the MTNL officials, the NGO, and the booth owner. Upto 2005, on an average, booth owners earned Rs 30,000 per month. "But now, as everyone carries a cell phone, our income has decreased to Rs 15,000. But we are forced to divide up the profits into three," informed Ramshabd Pandey, who operates a booth outside Churchgate station.

Since the NGO has 1,500 such booths under its patronage, by the 'rule' of thirds, both the MTNL officials and the NGO each get Rs 75,00,000 lakh per month, collectively depriving the operators of Rs 1.5 crore of their monthly income. Some of the MTNL officers secretly co-own the booths and forcibly retain profits. (MiD DAY has a copy of the 'deed of the partnership' between MTNL officers and booth owners). The matter came to the fore last month when Malad-based booth owner Shambhunath Girijashankar Tiwariu00a0 (38), who is physically challenged, complained (copy with MiD DAY) to the Social Welfare Ministry. Reportedly, a complaint was also forwarded to the Mumbai police commissioner.