New Delhi: A CPI (Communist Party of India) member today (Dec 13, 2004) alleged in Lok Sabha that telecom "scam' involving private service providers has resulted in loss of a whopping Rs 5,000 crore to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and demanded dismantling of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gurudas Dasgupta said the Prime Minister should find out from the Department of Telecommunications about this loss.

Dasgupta said, as apprehended earlier, the private operators were "misusing" the large infrastructure set up by BSNL.

As against over Rs 5,000 crore which should have been given to BSNL on account of domestic and international calls, BSNL had received only Rs 375 crore, he contended.

He said the private service producers had "meticulously" avoided paying the access deficit charges.

Blaming the telecom regulatory body of not taking effective action in this regard, he said it should be disbanded and reconstituted.

S K Modi, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), demanded a half-an-hour discussion on the issue.