Kolkata’s telephone booths have now become mere “showpieces” - GetBengal Story

Remember the days when people put a one-rupee coin in a box to communicate with their loved ones from a public phone booth? And the time was so limited that the caller had to keep an extra coin beforehand to continue the conversation further.

The era is now history! Because of the rapid growth of handsets and affordable tariffs offered by private tele-services, the public and private booths are about to become extinct. On January 28, 1882, the Central Telephone Exchange was established at 7, Council House Street, starting the journey of Kolkata’s telecommunication. The exchange achieved 93 subscribers by June of the same year of establishment. The people of the whole city used to rely on the booths to communicate locally and internationally as well. 

But currently, most Public Call Offices or PCOs in Kolkata have been facing maintenance issues along with internal tie-ups with linemen. Some pedestrians of Kolkata often complain about the “showpiece” phone booths that have no telephones inside. Even in booths where phones are available, the connection is frequently unreliable or interrupted.

According to 2000 data, the Calcutta Telephones General Manager said that there is a total of 16000 local public call offices in the city, but he was unsure about the number of abandoned booths. The reason for the discontinuation of public telephone booths often includes the internal agreement with the private booth owners. Public or government telephone booths charged 1 rupee back then, while private booths’ expense was 2 rupees. The public was not much impacted and also did not file complaints against this. Therefore, the private booths succeed in their intent. 

However, for the last few decades, India, along with Kolkata, has witnessed a remarkable surge in smartphone usage and internet connectivity. As a result, both the public and private booths have seen a significant decline, where few booths only existing, carrying the legacy of Kolkata’s rich heritage. 

Mentionable, in 2024, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar shared that a total of around 44,922 telephone booths are closed in India, while nearly 17,000 are operational. Among all the booths, 1,519 booths in rural areas and 15,439 in urban regions are available now.