Meghalaya Residents Demand Action Against Airtel for Network Failures
Residents Express Concerns Over Airtel's Network Issues
Guwahati, July 15: A group of thirty-two individuals representing more than 60 villages in the Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya have reached out to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, voicing their significant dissatisfaction regarding the frequent and extended network outages experienced with Bharti Airtel in this remote area.
This letter, submitted earlier this week, accuses Bharti Airtel of failing to deliver dependable service in the tribal-populated region, despite being tasked with enhancing mobile connectivity through the Centre’s Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
According to the villagers, the telecom giant's shortcomings have left them disconnected from vital services, emergency communications, and financial transactions, despite government assistance.
“Consequently, the villagers, primarily poor tribal pre-paid users, find themselves isolated… leading to significant difficulties,” the letter stated.
The residents also pointed out that they had previously filed numerous complaints through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) and addressed Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, yet no remedial measures have been taken.
Despite ongoing outages that can last for several hours, Airtel continues to demand full advance payments from users in these communities.
“Bharti Airtel continues to demand full payments… without providing any extensions or compensation,” the villagers claimed.
In their request, the residents urged the Chief Minister to engage with Airtel's senior management and ensure the following actions:
- Airtel should be held responsible for its inadequate service in the area.
- The Department of Telecommunications should perform an urgent technical audit.
- Alternative service providers should be considered if Airtel does not fulfill its commitments.
- Compensation should be provided to affected users for the outages and inconveniences.
Describing Airtel’s actions as both negligent and exploitative, the residents emphasized that this situation hampers the digital inclusion of already marginalized tribal communities in the state.
“This matter directly affects the welfare and digital inclusion of a significant tribal population. We hope the state government will take this issue seriously and ensure prompt resolution,” the letter concluded.
As of the time of this report, there has been no official response from the company regarding these concerns.
An image of the letter sent to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma by Ri-Bhoi residents (AT Photo)