Telecom service providers not giving quality service to Nagaland, says minister

Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 16 (EMN): Concerned over poor internet connectivity causing inconveniences to the public, especially students, the minister for Planning and Coordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, Neiba Kronu, has urged Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Communications, Ravi Shankar Prasad, to improve internet services in Nagaland.

In a letter dated March 15, Kronu informed that union minister that the “mobile network service providers presently providing services in the state are not performing well and the network connectivity has deteriorated and is becoming worse day by day”. He stated that people were facing difficulties in using their cell phones in the past few months, while students and teaching communities were facing problems in their academic online classes. Besides, banks, post offices, transport agencies etc were “badly affected due to the erratic network connectivity”, he stated.

Further, “users cannot download the important files, converse properly or make calls and can hardly make transactions in the bank and this is hampering the day-to-day activities”, Kronu stated in the letter.

Stating that ‘the public is about to come out to the street for agitation’, he requested the union minister to look into the matter.

Kronu is not the first legislator to have raised the issue of poor mobile and internet service in the state. Advisor for Public Health Engineering department, Jacob Zhimomi had earlier went public on the matter.

“Telecom services in Nagaland are not providing quality service to our people and the state. If such is the case, state Cabinet may take a decision soon in the matter. Therefore appropriate measures may be taken by the service providers at the earliest,” he had tweeted in February.

It may be mentioned that poor internet connectivity affected the online classes, which started last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Several student bodies, teachers and student communities and individuals have been raising concern over slow internet connection which has been hindering online study activities.

The Naga Students’ Federation had expressed concern over the difficulties faced by the student communities due to slow internet connectivity in July last year. The All Nagaland College Students’ Union had also raised the issue of poor internet connectivity in the state through a representation to state advisor for Information Technology and Communications, New and Renewable Energy; and Science and Technology, Mmhonlumo Kikon.

The apex student body of Mokokchung district, Ao Kaketshir Mungdang, had shut down Jio and Vodafone offices for failing to improve telecom network services in the district in July last year.