Internet shutdown in Karnal for 4 days: Business worth 60 crores affected, children’s online classes and net banking stalled; Due to double the traffic of mobile companies, there is also a problem in voice calling

In view of the strike by farmers in Karnal city of Haryana, the state government has suspended mobile internet and BULK SMS services in the entire district from September 6. Due to this, normal life has been badly affected. Children’s online classes have come to a standstill, so mobile shops are deserted. Merchants and businessmen are not able to do any transaction through netbanking, while banking services have also been affected. Thousands of farmers are sitting on the dharna and in view of the security arrangements around them, hundreds of police and paramilitary forces are deployed.

Due to new mobile subscribers and internet shutdown, voice calling has increased manifold, the network of mobile companies has been crippled. Alam is that in the area around Mini Secretariat, even the call is not being connected for the first time. It is worth mentioning that the farmers have put up a concrete front by pitching a tent in front of the mini secretariat in the city on September 7, demanding the suspension of Ayush Sinha, the then SDM and IAS officer of Karnal, who ordered the beheading of the farmers on August 28. Hundreds of employees and officers of police-administration are also performing duty in shifts here. In the midst of all this, internet and SMS services have been suspended in the district since September 6.

Calls are not received at the first time around the secretariat

There are offices of about 40 departments in Karnal Mini Secretariat. The area around the Mini Secretariat houses offices of more than 15 banks and 40 private companies, apart from about 10 insurance companies. Almost every mobile company has a tower near the Mini Secretariat. Mobile companies decide the frequency of the network according to their active users in the area through these towers. Before the strike of the farmers, there were between one and two thousand visitors of each company here. According to experts associated with telecommunication, the number of these users has increased 10 to 20 times on Thursday due to the people who reached the farmers’ movement and the existing network is not able to bear this load. The situation is that in this area even the call is not able to connect for the first time. To talk on the mobile, you have to dial 3 to 4 times.

Reliance on voice calling increased the problem

WhatsApp messages, calls and video calls are also not able to be done due to internet shutdown. SMS is also turned off. In such a situation, farmers, policemen from outside, paramilitary force personnel and officers have become dependent on voice calling. Due to this also the network is breaking.

Mobile traffic more than doubled, quadrupled on 7 September

An official of BSNL, a public sector mobile company, said that all the companies in the secretariat area together have put up tower network for about 10 thousand subscribers, while at present the mobile traffic here has increased to more than 20 thousand. On the day of Mahapanchayat i.e. on 7th September, the mobile traffic here had crossed 40 thousand.

Neither payment is happening, nor payment is coming: Garg

Bajrang Garg, National Chief General Secretary of All India Vyapar Mandal and Provincial President of Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal said that instead of solving the problems of the farmers, Haryana Government has suspended internet services for three days. Due to this, business worth Rs 60 crore has been affected in three days because transactions in every trade and industry are done through internet. Due to internet shutdown, neither payment is being made nor payment is coming. Even when a vehicle is sold, auto dealers make payments to the vehicle companies online. Everything has come to a standstill due to internet shutdown.

Payment comes online only

Most of the shopkeepers around Mini Secretariat told that nowadays everyone makes online payment only. 50% of the people do not even carry cash. Those who know, they give goods on credit, but the customer who is not familiar, he returns empty-handed. The offices and homes which have WiFi facility, there is internet running.

Controversy escalated over the order of beheading

On August 28, Chief Minister Manohar Lal took an organizational meeting of the BJP in Karnal. Farmers trying to oppose the same meeting clashed with the police in which several farmers were injured. An injured farmer succumbed to his injuries on 29 August. The matter had gained momentum after the statement of duty magistrate Ayush Sinha in Karnal on August 28 regarding beheading of farmers came to light. The farmers demanded suspension of Ayush Sinha by holding a mahapanchayat in Karnal on 7th September, failing which they gheraoed the mini secretariat.