1,500 mobile towers damaged In Punjab

More than 1,500 of Reliance Jio's 9,000 telecom towers in Punjab have been put out of action, allegedly by farmers protesting against the farm laws, disrupting service in parts of the state. According to a representative of the telecom company  the towers have taken a hit due to physical damage, power disruption or theft of generator. Over the last week, farmers have been venting anger against Reliance, snapping power supply, cutting cables of telecom towers and damaging infrastructure of the firm owned by Mukesh Ambani, seen as one of the major beneficiaries of the farm laws.

In Jalandhar, some bundles of Jio's fibre cable were burnt. Videos of Jio employees being threatened and made to flee have been widely circulated.The state police had not taken action against the perpetrators so far. The farmers said to be losing patience as thousands wait on the borders of Delhi, demanding that the Centre scrap the farm laws - a demand the government is not ready to grant.

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh issued a stern warning on Monday against vandalisation of mobile towers and disruption of telecom services in the state, and asked the police to take strict action in such cases. Singh also reminded the farmers that such communication breakdown will be costly for students, especially those preparing for Board Exams and professionals working from home due to the Covid outbreak. Even banking services, largely dependent on online transactions now, are taking a major hit, he said.