Kesinga: Following a recent decision taken by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to withdraw 4G data service from some areas in Kalahandi, many local denizens in the district have fumed and several local outfits have warned of agitation in the days ahead.
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Notably, Neeti Ayog had earlier identified 110 different districts across the country where data usage is very low.
In protest against BSNL’s decision, president of Kalahandi Shining, a local outfit, wrote a letter to Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, requesting him to intervene in reconsidering the decision.
“As old batteries are being used in JTE 4G equipments for providing data service, we do not get proper network round the year. Better, generators should be used instead so that local users will be able to use more data and be benefited,” some users said.
“BSNL authorities try to shift JTE 4G equipments to other areas, on the pretext of low data usage. The authorities never bother to rectify their own faults,” Kalahandi natives alleged.
According to reports, general manager of Odisha Telecom Circle has issued an order (No.-GM/N-UP-CM/PH 8-4/Complimentation/2017-18/42-28/07/2020) to Bhawanipatna, Bolangir and Phulbani telecom divisional engineers (TDEs), asking them to dismantle 17 numbers of JTE 4G equipments from the above telecom circles and install those at Phulbani SSA. Moreover, the office order directs to provide 2G data service in areas from where JTE 4G equipments will be taken out.
As a result, residents of Amapani, Behera, Bijamara, Chicheiguda, Chiliguda, Golamunda, Ghugurapala, Hatibandha, Jaringa, Kaudola, Kuliabandha, Ladugaon, Mahichala, Moter, Pastikudi, Sarabanga, Taraboda and Thuapadar areas in Kalahandi and Nuapada districts will allegedly not get 4G data service in future.
PNN