The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has condemned the attack on Reliance Jio’s tower infrastructure in Punjab by farmers protesting against the recently passed farm laws.
As per report, over 1,500 telecom towers owned by Reliance Jio have been damaged in Punjab, which has led to disruption in services in several parts of the state. Further, power supply to towers that relay telecom signals have been snapped and cables are cut in several parts of the state.
Commenting on the issue, Lt. Gen Dr. SP Kochhar, director general (DG), COAI, said, “While we respect people’s right to protest on any issue, sabotaging the telecom network infrastructure and disrupting telecom services as a form of protest by anyone is strongly condemned. Telecom services are the lifeline of lakhs of customers, including students taking online classes, professionals working from home, people going in for online health consultations in the tough time of COVID 19. The disruption of telecom services, which are considered “essential” under various enactments, is causing immense inconvenience to the common man for whom the mobile services are so essential. “
“During the lockdown and the continuing pandemic, warriors of the telecom sector worked tirelessly to provide seamless and uninterrupted connectivity across the length and breadth of the country through doorstep delivery, infrastructure augmentation and 24×7 network support,” he added.
