Team Goemkarponn
VALPOI: Residents of Zarme and Charavane in Sattari taluka were left frustrated during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations as BSNL mobile services collapsed, leaving customers without network for over a week. The frequent disruptions have sparked anger among locals, who are demanding immediate intervention from both BSNL and Parye MLA Dr. Deviya Rane.
Although mobile towers were installed in both villages just three months ago, customers allege that the services are highly unreliable, with calls and data connectivity disappearing repeatedly. The problem worsened during the festive period, when smooth communication was most needed.
According to sources, the towers were commissioned after long-pending efforts to extend mobile coverage to rural pockets of Sattari. Work on the project had initially been delayed because contractors reportedly did not receive timely payments from BSNL. While the towers were eventually activated, network continuity remains a major concern.
Residents allege that despite repeated complaints to BSNL officials, no concrete solutions have been provided so far. They point out that the government spent crores of rupees on these towers to bridge the rural digital divide, but the results have been disappointing.
With mobile facilities inoperative for the past eight days, villagers say they felt cut off during the festival. They have now urged BSNL to restore seamless services at the earliest and called upon MLA Dr. Rane to push for stronger accountability from the telecom operator.
