Farmers’ unions do not want the Punjab Police to bell the cat over the issue of vandalisation of mobile towers, reported from several parts of the State. The farmers’ leaders have extended full support to any “victim” of the police action in case of registration of an FIR in such incidents while, at the same time, appealing to the farmers not to disrupt the telecom services or snap power supply to the mobile towers.
The assertion came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had issued a stern warning against vandalism of mobile towers and disruption of telecom services in the State while also directing the state police to take strict action against those resorting to such unlawful activities.
“We will support the farmers, or anyone in case the police will lodge any FIR in such incidents,” said Krantikari Kisan Union’s general secretary Balwinder Singh Zira on Tuesday. Zira, responding to the Chief Minister’s warning and directives to the State Police, said that all the farmers’ unions are appealing the people, especially from villages, to not to indulge in such activities like snapping power supply or damaging the mobile towers, or their cables. “But we have clarified that we would support anyone if the police initiate any action in this matter,” he added. Notably, following the Chief Minister’s directives to the state police, the farmers have maintained that the cops were issuing warnings to the villagers. “The farmer organizations, which are protesting against the new farm laws, are against such things. We never back such things where some people damage mobile towers or cause damage to public or private property,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Ekta-Ugrahan, general secretary Sukhdev Singh. He reiterated that his outfit and others have made a strong appeal to the people not to do any such act which may damage public property. With more than 1,500 mobile phone towers having been vandalized in Punjab amid protests over the three farm laws, farmer leaders at the agitation site on the Delhi border on Tuesday appealed that these vital infrastructure should not be damaged. Notably, as many as 1561 mobile phone towers have been vandalized in Punjab amidst protests over the three farm laws. Of these, 146 were impacted only on Monday due to disruption of power supply to 32 towers that led to the disconnection of services of the remaining 114.The government, in its statement on Monday, stated that so far, 433 towers have been repaired. The state has a total of 21,306 mobile towers spread across its 22 districts.
Such incidents were reported from Mansa, Barnala, Ferozepur, and Moga with mobile towers of a particular telecom operator, Reliance Jio, being targeted during the past few days, disrupting their services. The Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, asserting that he would not let Punjab plunge into anarchy at any cost and nobody can be allowed to take the law into their hands, had on Monday stated that he has been forced to toughen his stance as his repeated appeals to perpetrators of such acts had been ignored.
‘CALL FOR BOYCOTT’
Alleging that the Centre’s new farm laws would benefit the big corporate houses, including that of Ambanis, the farmers’ unions had given a call of boycotting Reliance Jio. They have urged the people to port their Jio numbers to other telecom service providers. Krantikari Kisan Union president Dr Darshan Pal asserted that the main focus of the ongoing farmers’ agitation is only to boycott the corporate and nothing else. Dr Darshan Pal also denied any role of the farmers in the incidents of damaging the telecom towers in Punjab. “The mobile tower and infrastructure of any company should not be damaged as our call is only on boycotting a company,” he said while addressing from the main stage at Singhu border on Tuesday where the farmers’ dharna has entered 34th day.
OTHER TELCOS SETUP SPECIAL CAMPS IN PUNJAB, ERECT STALLS AT SINGHU
Cashing in on the farmers’ call to boycott Jio, the other telecom service providers are organizing special camps in several areas of Punjab, while special stalls have also been set up at the Singhu border. The farmers, besides the people, especially in villages, are using the portability option, which allows a mobile phone user to switch to a different network while retaining their mobile number. In Punjab, special camps are being organized in villages with shopkeepers making special offers and running discounts to encourage people to switch from Jio to Airtel, Vodafone-Idea and other mobile companies