Jio bears the brunt as protesting farmers axe 1,411 telecom towers in Punjab
The narrative that new farm laws are to benefit Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani has made them easy targets, with protesting farmers in different places in Punjab having vandalised and damaged Reliance Jio towers
PTI | December 28, 2020 | Updated 00:28 IST
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh s appeal to protesting farmers to not damage telecom infrastructure seems to have failed to deter new attacks, with more than 176 signal transmitting sites being vandalised in the last 24 hours, sources said on Sunday.
While firms belonging to billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani do not procure foodgrains from farmers, the narrative that new farm laws are to benefit them has made them easy targets, with protesting farmers in different places in Punjab having vandalised and damaged Reliance Jio towers, snapping connectivity.
Telecom disruption will hurt economy, CM Amarinder Singh says in appeal
At least two farmer bodies, Friday said disconnecting power to mobile towers was never on their agenda and that they had only given calls to boycott Reliance stores and products. Updated: December 26, 2020 2:33:28 am
Amarinder s appeal came in the wake of a request from the Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA), a registered body of telecom infrastructure providers.
Amid reports that farmers were disconnecting power supply to Jio mobile towers in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday appealed to them to not inconvenience the general public with such actions.
Pointing out that telecom connectivity had become even more critical for people amid the Covid-19pandemic, Amarinder said the farmers should show the same discipline and sense of responsibility which they had been exercising during their protest at the Delhi border, which completed one month,