Collective rebuff
Mobile telephone connectivity is one issue which still needs lot of improvement across Jammu and Kashmir especially in rural areas. This being the reason that the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha during his visit to Kupwara assured the people in Machil that mobile towers will be installed in the frontier Machil area to provide mobile telephony connectivity to this remote area.
The announcement of mobile connectivity in the area comes days after the areas of Machil and Keran got electricity through National Electricity Grid — ending their 70 years-long wait for power.
To begin with five mobile towers will be installed in the area, fulfilling a much-needed demand of the people of the area, who had been ruing for mobile connectivity for the past several decades. The mobile telephony also needs improvement in other areas as the call drop rate and other connectivity issues have been pestering the common subscribers here.
Since the Lt Guv felt the need to improve the phone connectivity in a rural and frontier zone he ordered starting the services at an earliest. The starting of mobile telephone services can have far greater ramifications that can ever be imagined owing to the area being part of the Line of Control.
However, keeping in view the larger good the government decided to let the people enjoy the luxury of mobile connectivity so that they too feel connected to the world and have the ease of access to information and other facilities.
The move however, gave rise to several questions a s well. This includes the government decision taken some 13 months back when 4G mobile internet services were barred in Jammu and Kashmir.
It has been more than a year now that the services remain suspended except the two districts of Udhampur and Ganderbal. Though the services were restored in the twin districts just few weeks back, the government continues with its decision of banning the services elsewhere.
This is where the government has involved itself in double speak. The move to ban the 4G services has been hitting a common man very badly. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when schools are closed and the student’s community has to attend classes and other activities online.
Similarly, the medical professionals and other sections of the society too have been witnessing tremendous difficulties but the government has been harping on various reasons and avoiding the people’s demand of restoring 4G services in the region.
This continuous denial of 4G internet services is making the government vulnerable to criticism and allegations of violation of various rights of people including the right to information and other services.
KV Network
