Kupwara Sep 15: The residents of several villages in the Mawer area of Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district expressed anger against private telecom operators ‘Jio’ and ‘Airtel’ for providing inadequate internet speed in the area, resulting in severe hardships to them.
The residents said that at a time when the rest of Kashmir was having the privilege of benefitting from 5G, they were grappling with slow-speed internet, causing inconvenience to them.
They said that the villages including Umerabad Lam Audoora, Warpora, Cheki Audoora, and Drugnsoo were facing the brunt due to low-speed internet.
The lack of efficient internet connectivity not only hampers their access to information but also impedes their ability to engage in online education, remote work, and staying connected with the wider digital world.
“The students of the area have been suffering due to low speed internet. In fact several job aspirants including those preparing for civil services have been raising concerns regarding it but to no avail. Many of them have now moved to the places of their relatives for preparation,” said Raja Akbar, a local.
“Since high-speed internet has become an essential part of daily life, particularly in the wake of increased reliance on digital platforms for various aspects of work, education, and communication, they are unable to comprehend as to why these telecom operators are watching as mute spectators and doing nothing regarding redressal of grievances of the common people. Despite bringing this matter to the notice of the concerned telecom operators numerous times, our complaints have gone unanswered, leaving us without a solution,” he said.
The residents have now sought immediate intervention of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kupwara Ayushi Sudan in this regard so that the hardships being faced by the people end soon.