The last payphone at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was disconnected and taken away by an MTNL worker on Thursday, marking the end of an era. From a time when public payphones were a necessity to just getting only 5-10 users in a month due, payphones were pushed into obsolescence by the advent of mobile phones.



MTNL general manager Bhim Singh said, “It’s a rule now to disconnect all payphones with a monthly collection of less than Rs 500, except in hospitals.”