By IANS
New Delhi : The illegal re-routing of international calls through local lines have caused a revenue loss of Rs.2.94 billion (around $70 million) in the last three years, Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Shakeel Ahmad told parliament Thursday.
A total of 299 cases of the illegal re-routing were filed between the 2005 and 2007. The revenue loss was highest in 2005 (183 cases) resulting in revenue loss of Rs.1.98 billion, the minister informed the Rajya Sabha.
The government has created 34 Vigilance Telecom Monitoring (VTM) cells under Department of Telecom (DoT) in various License Telecom Service areas and major telecom districts of the country to tackle the menace.
These cells along with various law enforcement agencies are checking the illegal routing of international calls, the minister said.
The members of the upper house of parliament expressed concern on the issue and called it not only a cause of revenue loss but also a serious security threat.