Due to the dismal BSNL broadband speed, the subscribers in south Kashmir’s Anantnag town are unable to even access their email services.
The subscribers alleged that despite making several rounds of the concerned telephone exchange for their restoration of the service, yet, nothing except for disappointment has come to their hands.
“I’m not able to work from home as the speed is poor. Even lesser than – 2G speed-what we get on mobile phones these days. It is not possible to go online on this speed,” said Ishfaq Khan, from Kadipora.
Khan is a branch head for HDFC bank.
“I am not able to access mail, or surf internet leave alone downloading files or getting connected to my subordinates” said he.
Khan said he has a plan of Rs 699 and pays Rs 825 every month with GST, but is getting speed as low as 100 Kbps.
“As per the plan, I am supposed to get 5 GB data per day with at least 5 mbps speed,” he said.
Like Khan, there are several others in private jobs who were finding it difficult to carry with their routine work.
“My organization has categorically told me to work or face the consequences (termination),” said a youth from LalChowk locality of the town. He works in the banking sector.
Sadat Khaki, a geologist working in JKPDC says his work has suffered immensely and despite repeated complaints to officials the issue is not being sorted out.
“Why should we pay for something which we don’t get?” asked he, “This is sheer cheating”.
Sehar, a university student in Delhi from Niabasti locality says she is missing out on the mandatory online classes.
“It has been around a month now, and I am not able to get access to the applications for my online classes. This is badly affecting my studies,” said she.
An official said owing to the technical glitch, the subscribers are confronting the problem.
DE BSNL, Prabhat Kumar attributed the low speed to the worn-out underground cable.
“It has developed cuts at several places and our men are on it, trying to rectify the cable,” said Kumar.
DGM, BSNL, JitenderVerma refuted the allegations of subscribers of deliberately denying them high-speed internet services.
“That is not possible at all,” he said.
DGM assured of taking up the issue with the officials in Anantnag and resolving it at the earliest.