Will BSNL Press ‘That’ Button to Release High Speed Internet for the Islanders?
Port Blair, Aug 10: The people of Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been waiting for days and months for the auspicious occasion when the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi would be launching the Chennai Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sub Marine Cable Project (CANI-SMCP). The day had finally come when the Prime Minister had agreed to launch the services today.
People switched on to the national channel Door Darshan Kendra and also tried to watch it through online medium, with some difficulty. It was 10.30 am and the function started with the Telecom Minister giving a brief about the project followed by a beautiful presentation on A&N Islands. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Veer Savarkar were also remembered on the occasion. And finally the curtain was raised by pressing of a button by the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister greeted the islanders and explained about the vast opportunities that lay ahead of them, with the commencement of CANI and other projects. People were overwhelmed with the charismatic speech of Shri Narendra Modi.
By past 11.00 am, the inaugural function concluded and the islanders kept checking for the promised ‘High Speed Data’. Some even believed that their mobiles or gadgets are not used to such high speed data transfer and would collapse.
After struggling for hours, the islanders couldn’t really get ‘that’ promised speed. In fact the speed had worsened in many places, turning the bright faces into red & black.
“The entire world must be thinking, we are enjoying the high speed interned. People believe Modi Ji but how can we explain that nothing worked out as yet”, said an islander.
Meanwhile, a day before the launch of CANI, the BSNL, A&N Telecom Circle had generated the bills for last month’s usage, which was a tight slap to the islanders, who are already dealing with the uncontrolled pandemic in the islands. Bills to the tune of Rupees four thousand to Twenty thousand and more was slapped on the faces of BSNL customers.
Though the islanders have been expecting a PAN India tariff for Internet with the CANI launch, this dream was also turned down by BSNL, A&N Telecom Circle.
The Islanders now wait for BSNL to press ‘that’ button, not the one that Hon’ble Prime Minister had pressed to raise the curtain. It’s the button that would make Modi Ji’s promise of high speed internet into a reality. Can the islanders expect something out of today’s launch; remains a big question.