Shillong: There are only a few business houses that are committed to their promises. Most of the companies just let their customers down at different points of time. Their promises and their business ethics are just thrown to the winds. It’s needless to even mention the present deteriorating connectivity of mobile phones. For the past several months, people have been facing enormous difficulty in using their cell phones but this case has hardly ruffled the companies’ feathers. Despite repeated complaints, they have not at all bothered to improve the service. What is very disgusting is that when they cannot even cater and provide seamless services to existing customers, they are in a rush to enroll the “new customer” for the connections thereby “overloading” the existing technological infrastructures. Why is it allowed and why is the government keeping mum? This is very uncalled for.
Has the poor connectivity not adversely affected our day-to-day activities? Apart from the business houses, banks, post offices, transport agencies and railways, the students and the teaching communities are now badly hit by the poor network service.
While we cannot easily connect to some mobile phone numbers and only hear some breaking and slurring voices which is beyond comprehension, at other times we are told “the person you are calling is out of network coverage area”. This has now become a regular affair. Sometimes it’s too ridiculous that the user has to dance around or even rush to the rooftop/terrace to have better network connectivity. During the load-shedding in many states, the situation gets worse; one cannot make any calls.
Poor internet connectivity is another irritant factor. The user cannot download important files without a hitch. Most of the customers only pay money for the internet DATA without ever been able to use even 2/3 GB for the whole month or the time period of the specific plan. The compulsory online academic classes and webinars have already sent the students and IT employees into panic due to the erratic internet service. The “link failures” in the banking and PUS sectors have brought untold miseries to the major population across the country.
Today, with the utmost solemnity, I would like to draw the urgent attention of the concerned authorities, especially the Ministry of telecommunication communication and the secretaries and district commissioners, to take this case of worsening mobile and internet service with all seriousness. Merely harping on digital technology will be utterly meaningless. One wonders why the government falls short in taking all such service providers to the task. No customer/public should be taken for a ride by the companies. Moreover, the customers usually “pre-paid” money only for the better service, not for the worse service. Once again, I humbly request the authorities concerned to pull up those who promise the moon but only to show us hell on earth.
A Shillong-based writer and researcher, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work entitled ‘Great Minds on India’, that has earned worldwide appreciation. Translated into fifteen languages, his book has been edited by a former NASA scientist – Dr. AV Murali of Houston, USA. Gewali is also a member of the International Human Rights Commission, Zürich, Switzerland.
