Pahalgam: The subscribers of private telecommunication companies like Jio and Airtel and even BSNL have complained about erratic calling and Internet services in Mamal and Mandelan areas of Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The residents of Mamal and Mandelan villages which according to locals consist of around 400 households have been suffering in absence of proper network connectivity.
Sameer Ahmad, a local resident of Mandelan said that they cannot make any calls even during emergencies and living without proper connectivity in today’s world is like living in dark ages.
He said that most of the jobs in modern era are done on mobile phones but in absence of proper connectivity, they are unable to access the internet or even make phone calls and have to visit various offices for filling various forms and submission of other details.
“When the world is witnessing 5G internet connectivity, we don’t have basic cellular connectivity to call our friends, relatives and others,” said Irshad Khan, another local resident.
“We usually move to other places to make phone calls as our phones remain out of service, when we stay indoors,” he said.
The locals said that student’s community suffered a lot in last two to three years as they were facing problems in attending online classes in absence of network connectivity and even students had to go to nearby areas in search of mobile connectivity to attend their classes.
They said that during emergencies they are unable to contact their relatives who also get worried when they are unable to contact us.
“We have brought this issue into the notice of concerned authorities several times but despite repeated assurances the ground situation remained the same,” they said.
They appealed concerned authorities from the government as well as private cellular companies to install towers in their areas, so that they can avail mobile phone network facility in this modern era.
The residents have sought personal intervention of Lt Guv Manoj Sinha and concerned deputy commissioner in ordering the telecom officials to provide signal towers in the area so that people can avail the services.
