Disruption of telecom services harming the interest of the general public. All online services are impeded and normal life gets paralysed when mobile towers are damaged to make the system dysfunctional. Jamming of communication network is a criminal sabotage which cannot be tolerated and difficult to endure, under any circumstances.

We support the farmer’s cause wholeheartedly for seeking the repeal of the black farm laws but we certainly do not support such a criminal sabotage of disrupting the telecom services in Punjab or elsewhere by any Farmer’s Union.

These saboteurs must understand that all students from school to universities are taking online classes at home during the Covid pandemic. They are receiving instructions, lessons on line on the mobile phones or on their computer or laptops, therefore where ever the towers are damaged the life is also get dented.

End number of patients suffering from incurable deceases are getting their treatment monitored online. Their communication with the Doctors and hospitals is only through tele-communication network. If network is down the communication is jammed, disrupting the channels of medical advice, putting the patients of serious ailments in complete disarray, such a hopeless situation can even cause a loss of precious life.

I’m aware of the sufferings of the people of Kashmir when they were put to protracted ordeal by snapping the internet services and also jamming the telephone connectivity by the central Government when the State of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated and the article 370 of the constitution was scrapped. Then why the volunteers of the farmers unions are resorting to same draconian tactics now in Punjab ?

Farmers organizations know very well that almost half the Population of Punjab is settled abroad, many older parents are staying back home in Punjab and the cell phones are the only sources of communications with the members of the families settled abroad.

The State Government should also not abandon its beholden duty and needs to swung in to action with adequate alacrity to protect the telecom towers; in order to restore the communication services forthwith.

The state Government should also ensure by all means that the telecommunication and internet services are not disrupted in Punjab by the saboteurs of any hue.