Cellphone jammer installed in TN temple for first time

Chennai, May 18 (UNI) Thanks to the installation of a cell phone jammer for the first time in a temple in Tamil Nadu, devotees to the famous Sri Parthasarathy temple here can now pray in peace without any disturbance from ringing mobiles.

The jammer would bar incoming and outgoing calls from the mobiles upto a radius of 20 metres, providing a trouble free and peaceful worship for the devotees, temple sources told UNI today.

It was installed on an experimental basis near the sanctum sanctorum of the presiding deity and it was a success.

''It will be installed gradually in other Sannidhi's also'', the sources said.

''No network coverage'', will be the message that will flash on the phones when anyone trying to make calls or receive calls while offering worship anywhere near the main deity.

The move to instal jammers as the signboard and display boards, asking the devotees to switch off their phones, did not yield the desired results.

'Since all our efforts to ban speaking on cellphone at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple proved futile, we decided to put in such a device, he said, adding the temple administration too had received petitions from the general public seeking to curb speaking on mobiles inside the temple.

The cost of the cellphone jammer was Rs 25,000 and it was installed about ten days back with the help of sponsors.

Meanwhile, Anna University Vice-Chancellor D Viswanathan justified the ban on use of cellphones inside the varsity campus and said it had led to a 25 per cent increase in pass percentage.

''The restriction has brought about a positive effect on the profile of students to a large extent as there was an increase in pass percentage by 25 per cent'', he said at a function here last evening.

The ban had increased the employability of graduates by 30 per cent in the recent years.

Dwelling on the negative aspects of cellphones, he said mobile phones in the classroom was disturbing both for the students and teachers. It is also noticed that they become victims in various road accidents, as they busily talk on the mobiles while driving or crossing roads, he added.

UNI