Bhubaneswar: At a time when people of the Smart City here are having a tough time to talk to their near and dear ones over phone due to network blues, some have latched on to the idea of flocking to the flyovers for better connectivity.
People in large numbers are seen talking over phone and browsing on their handsets at the flyovers near Vani Vihar, Satya Nagar, Acharya Vihar and Chandrasekharpur in the city. Some are even downloading important documents from their cell phones.
Sarthak Mohapatra, an employee of a mall here, said, “I’m unable to talk to my parents for the last three days. They are quite worried about me after they came to know from TV about the devastation caused by Fani in Bhubaneswar. One day while driving towards Nayapalli I checked my phone and saw network in my phone. I instantly called my parents and informed them about my wellness.”
Similarly, Ashay Agarwal, a student who had applied for NEET, said “I was unable to get any information regarding the exam dates because of lack of network. One of my friends told me about the presence of string connection at the flyover near Vani Vihar. So, I tried and got the information about extension of NEET schedule to May 20. I also downloaded the admit card there.”
Many youngsters are seen downloading songs and movies at these flyovers. The raison d’être for presence of string connectivity at these flyovers is proximity to the towers which are working post cyclone.
Archana Satpathy, a college student, said, “Fani had showed us that we are heavily dependent on technology and when this technology fails, our daily life comes to a grinding halt.”
One can find scores of people in cars and on bikes browsing on their phones at these locations.
This apart, people are also thronging malls, petrol pumps and the city airport to recharge their phones as electricity is yet to be restored here.