66. Getting Internet Connection in

India

Q.I am a U.S citizen and anticipate a lengthy stay in India on account of my mother. I want to apply for internet and cell phone connection and have been having a lot of problems. The reason: My mother lives in a rented apartment and she does not have a ration card to prove residency.(I would have applied in her name because she is an Indian citizen.) I have applied for an OCI card. I don't know if that will help when it finally comes through. Meanwhile if I were to apply for a PAN card would that be sufficient to get internet and phone connection. If not any suggestions? My mother has a bank account. She does not get bank statements however. If I were to open an NRI account would that help? would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance. Leena Haldipur A. I can well understand your frustration. I usually visit Pune, India for about four months every year and normally get an Airtel Internet connection in about two days. I personally visit the Airtel office and apply. They require a photograph, Rs 500 deposit and proof of address. I don't have a ration card and have never been asked for one. I am sure you can get your mothers bank to print out a statement showing her address. This would be the easiest method to show residential address. If your mother has a lease document (Normally this is on a stamp paper) that might also be acceptable. A letter from the landlord perhaps, can also be an option. PAN definitely helps as identification. Your bank should have PAN applications with them and may give you help in filling out the form. There are cases where a representative of the Internet company may come to your residence to verify that you actually live there. This is a normal procedure with some companies. I am not sure what city you are in but would suggest you visit the offices of the Internet company and speak to someone in authority who may be able to expedite your Internet connection. Good luck UPDATE: During my visit to Pune in Sept 2010 I had approached Airtel for a connection. They said they had recently updated their system and installation would be done within one week. After three weeks of endless calls and personal visits to their office in Swargate Pune, I finally gave up, applied for a BSNL connection and got their Internet service installed in four days.