Vikramaditya
Port Blair, June 02: While entire country is making maximum use of low data rates of various telecom companies and reaping the benefit of Digital India, somewhere in remote villages of Andaman and Nicobar Islands students are struggling terribly even to get a 2G signal in their mobile phone, to appear in exams.
Andaman Sheekha Daily has obtained several photographs of students sitting inside jungles, seashores and even under rain, to get strong 2G or 3G signal to appear in exams.
These are the student of DBRAIT giving online practical exams during the time of pandemic from remote villages of Navin Nagar, Durgapur, Milan Gram and Karala Junction areas.
These photographs not only raises questions over the very existence of BSNL in these Islands and its technical expertise but also brings shame for entire Administration, which has failed to provide basic internet coverage in many remote villages, despite getting connection of undersea OFC, last year.
Villagers, parents complain ask that will top officers of BSNL and Administration be able to sit quietly inside their AC rooms and or enjoy sound sleep if their children had to face such problems while writing exams, if no, then why students of these Islands, living in remote villages, have to face such issues.
Network connectivity has always been one of the major problems of people living in scattered Islands and these photographs are proof that Digital Andaman is nothing more than a slogan for remote Islanders.
Youths and responsible Islanders are now waking up slowly on major issues and are able to highlight such issues in national level directly through social media and many villagers are now urging these people, to make these photographs viral, so that this matter reaches to Prime Minister of India and he realizes that how his Digital India Mission is given priority in these Islands.
Situation is not different in other remote villages of Kadamtala, Billiground and most importantly Nicobar District. There are many Islands in Nicobar District which witnesses total blackout of network coverage for several weeks.
In this age of internet this is sad and equally shameful to see that students of these Islands have to face such problems even to write an exam.
In many cases it has been found that even when the Administration is positive to provide better network connectivity in remote Islands due to technical problems from the side of BSNL, the real benefit of Digital India is not reaching to villages of far flung Islands. Hope BSNL wakes up from deep slumber and provides atleast 3G connectivity in all remote villages.
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