To express anger against bad network, Gorkhaland supporters burn handsets in Darjeeling

On Wednesday, Gorkhaland supporters burnt handsets to express their anger against bad network in Darjeeling.

Darjeeling, July 27: Our cellphones have become our best friends, literally. If something goes wrong with your handsets or with the network, life almost comes to a standstill, these days.

Same thing happened with the residents of restive Darjeeling and its adjoining areas where cellphone connectivity was down for the second day on Wednesday.

In Darjeeling and its suburbs, where people are protesting for a separate state of Gorkhaland, an indefinite bandh is on for the last 43 days.

The government, fearing further breakdown of law and order, has banned internet across the hills too. Thus, people have only their cellphones to keep in touch with the rest of the world.

Since Monday landlines were dead too across the hills. In fact, the hill station and its neighbouring places had no access to electricity from Monday. Thankfully, power was back on Wednesday afternoon.

In order to protest against poor network connectivity, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the political outfit spearheading the movement, hosted a rally in Darjeeling on Wednesday.

As a part of the rally, the GJM supporters started a procession from Ghoom railway station and went to Jorebungalow. The protesters returned to the station where over 60 cellphone sets were burnt in protest.

"Without internet and phone connectivity, these gadgets are of no use. That is why we burnt the cellphones. It is because of the policy of the state government that the situation has reached this extent. We want immediate restoration of internet and phone services," Prakash Subba, the general secretary of the Morcha's Ghoom-Jorebungalow constituency, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

However, officials blamed Gorkhaland supporters for phone services being down. Officials allege that protesters had cut down optical fibre cables leading to almost no network connectivity across the hills.

Protesters suggested service providers to remove towers as phones are not working. "What is the use of towers if the phones do not work and there is no Internet?" asked a protester.

The Darjeeling district administration had banned internet till July 25. Although the date has crossed, internet is still unavailable in the hills. Reports say the clampdown on internet had been extended till August 5.

OneIndia News