Amid curfew, BSNL users upset over poor network

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 2

Amid curfew restrictions, BSNL customers who have mobile and broadband connections have been complaining of poor quality of network. According to them, they are finding it tough to work from home as the government-owned telecommunication company is providing poor mobile and broadband services.

Much to their dismay, cyber cafes are shut due to the curfew restrictions. Left with barely any other alternative, some BSNL customers changed their mobile networks and others are left to bear with the poor quality of network.

Some customers said despite registering complaints with the BSNL authorities after their broadband stopped working, officials had failed to take any corrective steps to resolve their problem.

Harmeet Singh, a city resident, said, “Around 10 days ago, I had registered a complaint at the BSNL office after my broadband stopped working. Moreover, I took up the issue with senior officials in the region, but to no avail. How can anyone work from home when the Internet does not work?”

“Making calls to clients has become a jittery affair as the call suddenly gets dropped or voice starts breaking-in midway. The government has assured that the Internet services will remain uninterrupted during the curfew restrictions, but the scenario for BSNL customers is completely different,” he added.

An employee of the BSNL said they had not been able to get curfew passes. Therefore, the field work was affected.

Another BSNL customer, Harvinder Sharma, a resident of Mehma Sarja village, said, “The network quality has become a big concern for me these days. Call drop is quite frequent and I have been facing a tough time due to disturbance during the ongoing calls. My clients have been expressing concern that they are not able to make calls especially during afternoon hours. The BSNL needs to fix the problem otherwise in these testing times when people have been asked to stay indoors, the work of its customers will be affected.”

Rahul Ashokayan, General Manager, BSNL, Bathinda range, said, “Field activities have been reduced a bit due to the curfew restrictions. But our employees are visiting the field and carrying out repair works wherever required. The speed of broadband might be low, which can be sorted out by the Centre.”