Communications minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that a joint meeting between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), department of telecommunication (DoT) and private telecom operators would be held soon in order to bridge the communication gap and enhance "co-operation".

Paswan, who has said that bridging the gap was one of his top priorities, held a closed-door meeting with TRAI chairman Justice SS Sodhi and other members on Friday at the TRAI office.

Sources said that the minister emphasised on the fact that improvement in telecom services needed better co-ordination among the regulator, private sector and goverenment.

Earlier in the day, Paswan also held a meeting with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) and directed it to clear all pending demand for new telephone connections in Delhi before December this year.

MTNL has been asked to clear close to 23,000 pending applications well before November 15. According to a press release, Paswan also asked MTNL to acknowledge complaints within three hours.

In case more time is needed to correct the fault, consumers will have to be informed and would be sorted certainly within 24 hours after complaint. The minister has also taken an initiative to improvepostal services in the country and asked the department of postal services to put a mail collection box in every village with a three km range span.

Paswan's move for patch-up between TRAI & DoT comes at a time when the relations between the two have deteriorated. The latest was the confrontation over TRAI's demand for files relating to the cancellation of Koshika Telecom's cellular licence.DoT, as the licensor saw no role for TRAI in the matter and there was a sense of indignation over what DoT perceived as an intrusion in matters where the regulator has no jurisdiction.