Even as violence-hit Sambalpur is gradually limping back to normalcy, internet services continue to remain snapped in an attempt to curb communal tensions reported during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations in the city.
The government-imposed internet outage has severely affected students who were taking their online classes on Zoom and other social media apps. Many students who depended on YouTube and other sites for their lessons are now left in distress due to the internet restrictions.
Many people, who depended on the Internet, for their business are going through untoward problems. Dozens of students are now forced to travel all the way to border districts for online classes.
“I’m doing my B. Tech and also preparing for competitive exams. The internet has been suspended since the last one week. Now, I have to miss my online classes on Zoom. With no other option, I have to walk to the Sambalpur-Angul border just for internet,” said a student Tapan Kumar.
“I sit in an open field and take my online classes on the border. What else can we do? We don’t even know when the ban will be lifted,” he added.
Similarly, another student Gopabandhu said, “We all have come here to Boudh border just for the internet. Students are all sitting in open fields and highways for their online classes. All the students who depended on the internet for their preparation and studies are now going through unwanted problems and are missing out on their lessons.”