INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said that 1,561 mobile towers have been "impacted" in the state during the
farmers' stir against the agri laws and directed the police to take strict action against vandalisation and disruption of telecom
services.Asserting that he will not let Punjab plunge into anarchy at any cost and nobody can be allowed to take the law into their hands,
chief minister said that the general public including students, professionals working from home and banking services would suffer the most
if the mobile services were disrupted and warned that the use of violence could alienate the protestors from the masses which would be
detrimental to the interests of the farming community.A total of 1,561 mobile towers have been impacted in the state, according to an
The state has a total of 21,306 mobile towers spread across its 22 districts.Pointing out that his government had not objected to, or
stopped, peaceful protests in the state against the Centre's ?black farm laws? for the past several months, Singh said in a statement here
damaged, allegedly by some farmers and their supporters in violation of the directions given by farmers' unions to keep their protests
against the farm laws peaceful.Since Monday morning there was a disruption of power supply to 32 towers, which led to the disconnection of
So far, 433 towers have been repaired, according to the official statement.Amid reports that the power supply to mobile towers was being
disconnected allegedly by protesting farmers in different parts of the state during the past few days, Amarinder Singh had earlier on Friday
appealed to them to not inconvenience the general public with such actions
targeted during the past few days, disrupting their services.?The farmers' agitation had so far been successful and had garnered the support
of people from all sections of the society and across the country due to its peaceful nature,? said the chief minister.Calling upon farmers
and their supporters to put an immediate stop to such destructive activities, which were being disowned by farmer leaders themselves, the
chief minister said disruption of telecom services could lead to a communications blackout in the state, causing its people, especially
dependent on online education amid the Covid pandemic, such communication breakdown could seriously affect their future,? he said.?The state
government has already distributed 1.75 lakh smartphones to class XII students to equip them for the Board exams, but the vandalization of
telecom property was hampering the students,? he said.The chief minister further said that professionals working from home, with many of
services, which were also largely dependent on online transactions in these times of crisis, were taking a major hit due to these unlawful
acts, he added.While his government's sympathies were with the agitating farmers, which was why it had also brought in state amendment
bills in the assembly to negate the central legislations, nobody could be allowed to take law and order in their hands, warned the chief
