HARIPUR, March 19: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has failed to equip its subsidiary, the Telephone Industries of Pakistan, Haripur, (TIP) to its production capacity for several months, forcing the administration to lay off its contractual staff.

The TIP which holds 70 per cent shares of the PTCL and 30 per cent of Siemens of Germany has been facing crisis due to lack of production order from the parent organization, PTCL.

The TIP has annual production capacity of 500,000 digital lines, 300,000 telephone sets, 300,000 energy meters and other accessories of telecommunication system.

Despite an influx of multinational companies in the field of telecommunication, the TIP has met 90 per cent of country’s requirement of telephone exchanges and telephone sets till the recent past.

However, for the past few years, the factory has been facing shortage of facilities against its production capacity as compared to its multinational competitors. Sources said that not only the factory was deprived of its due share of annual production orders or known as annual development programme, but also its dues against the PTCL were withheld.