Have tower but no mobile network, education to healthcare hit; protest erupts in Odisha panchayat

Life in Ghosarmal panchayat under Naktideul block of Sambalpur district came to a halt on Thursday morning, not because of a storm or a strike, but due to the lack of a mobile network despite having a tower in the village, which locals claimed has been a problem troubling the community for months.

Sources reported that by 10 am, dozens of men, women, and children from the panchayat gathered on National Highway-55 at the Bhima Bhoi College square in Rairakhol. They spread mats and sat directly across the blacktop, forming a human barricade.

Some held their children in their laps, others carried placards. Within minutes, traffic on both sides of the busy highway was backed up, with rows of trucks, buses, and cars standing idle on all lanes of the stretch.

‘Tower Is Here, But Signals Are Missing’

“This tower was put up years ago, but it’s only for show. We get one bar of signal, sometimes none at all,” complained a local, adding that business suffers because mobile payment apps simply don’t work. 

Many villagers narrated harrowing experiences of being unable to contact ambulances or relatives during medical emergencies. “A few months back, one of our elders collapsed. We couldn’t even call the hospital from the village. We had to send someone on a bike to fetch help,” recalled a farmer.

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Repeated Complaints, No Action

According to residents, multiple petitions have been submitted to the telecom provider and district administration over the past year, but it has all gone in vain.

The blockade drew in local police, who arrived to negotiate with the crowd and clear the jam. Officers assured the protesters that the matter would be taken up with higher authorities, but the villagers refused to disperse without a written assurance of immediate technical inspection and repair.

Till the last report came in, the road blockade was underway, and a line of stationary vehicles stretched far in both directions, with stranded passengers watching the negotiations unfold.