Chhattisgarh: Villages In Bharatpur-Sonhat Yearn For Proper Mobile Connectivity

Korea/MCB: At a time when the government claims a digital revolution to address the concerns of the citizens, several villages in Bharatpur-Sonhat constituency continue to yearn for proper mobile connectivity. In this remote forest area of Chhattisgarh's Korea district, there are about 125 villages where there is no proper mobile network connectivity. The situation is so bad that the villagers have to use bamboo sticks to get a signal.

The network crisis is most severe in the Ramgarh area of the ​​Korea district. Six Panchayats, covering a radius of approximately 30 km, including Ramgarh, Natwahi, Singhor, Daser, Anandpur and Amritpur, are completely without a mobile network. Almost every household in these villages has a mobile phone, which is useless due to the lack of a network. The villagers try to get a signal by climbing to a higher ground or tying their mobile phones to a bamboo pole. Sometimes, even after hours of effort, they cannot find a signal, and even if they do find one, it disappears within minutes.

Of the 403 villages in Bharatpur-Sonhat constituency, approximately 125 lack mobile network coverage, and this is hampering development while also alienating villagers from the mainstream.

Villages In Bharatpur-Sonhat Yearn For Proper Mobile Connectivity (ETV Bharat)

The administration claims to have initiated the process of upgrading old 2G towers to 4G. MLA Renuka Singh has already raised this issue in the Assembly. According to her, approval has been received to install new towers in 85 Panchayats, and work is expected to begin after March 31.

One of the villagers, Basantlal Yadav, said, “For a unified computing system (UCS) network, the mobile has to be kept at a height with the help of bamboo. Many times, even after waiting for hours, the call is not connected.”

Meanwhile, Sukhlal Singh said, “We have to travel several kilometres to access the network, which costs both time and money.”

For any important call, banking or online documents, the villagers have to cross forests and mountains. They have been continuously demanding mobile connectivity from public representatives and the administration, but have received only assurances till now.

One of the villagers, Pushpendra Singh, explained that the lack of mobile network is disrupting online services and preventing villagers from receiving timely benefits from government schemes.

“The network problem is serious and has been raised in the Assembly. Approval has been given to install towers in many villages, and work will start soon,” claimed BJP MLA Renuka Singh.

Renuka Singh had raised a question in the Assembly seeking the number of villages in Bharatpur Sonhat constituency that are eligible for the Chief Minister's mobile tower scheme. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had replied that out of the 337 villages in the constituency, 47 did not have a single mobile tower.

Information provided by the Department of Telecommunications stated that 290 villages of the total 337 have mobile towers, while 47 do not. Of these, work is underway in 40 villages.

Sai said that his government had written to the Government of India for 5,000 towers. On December 10, approval was received for 513 towers. The remaining seven villages will be provided with connectivity under the approval received.

But the scenario on the ground exposes the reality of ‘Digital India’ where access to technology is still incomplete. It is being pointed out that unless there is a strong network system in these areas, digital schemes will remain confined to paper.

Observers say that while the government is promoting digital services, online schemes and cashless transactions, these initiatives are completely ineffective in these villages.
Online government work, banking services, students' studies, and everything is getting affected due to a lack of network. Toll-free numbers issued for emergency services are also proving useless.

Also Read

Chhattisgarh Village Prohibits Movement Of Youngsters Outside Their Homes After 6 PM