Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jan 9: In a strong indictment of the state administration, nine leading industrial bodies in Goa have come together to protest recurring disruptions to internet services caused by the electricity department’s ongoing cable-cutting drives, warning that the situation is crippling productivity and undermining the Prime Minister’s ‘Digital India’ mission.
The industry bodies, in a joint letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, expressed deep frustration over the “deteriorating” situation, stating that repeated assurances from the state government to resolve the issue have failed to translate into action. They pointed out the contradiction between the government’s push for “ease of doing business” and the ground reality of frequent connectivity breakdowns.
“The recurring instances of cable cutting and disruptions to internet services have once again become a major challenge,” the statement said, adding that the momentum of the Prime Minister’s vision to empower citizens through reliable broadband connectivity “seems to be losing momentum in Goa”.
An industry representative said that following the complaint, Chief Minister Sawant directed the chief secretary to convene a meeting with officials from concerned departments to address the issue. However, the business community said immediate and long-term solutions were needed to prevent repeated disruptions.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday when the electricity department cut fibre optic cables in Margao, damaging main feed lines of internet service providers such as Allegra, Big Ventures and others. The outage affected several areas including Borda, Fatorda, Gogol, Margao town, Aquem and surrounding localities.
The signatories to the joint statement include the Goa Technology Association, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, Goa State Industries Association, Credai, Assocham, BNI-Goa, Laghu Udyog Bharati and the Goa IT Business Association.
Highlighting a serious lack of infrastructure planning, the industry bodies said businesses cannot be held hostage due to unstable internet connectivity. To resolve the crisis, they demanded that internet service providers be directed and supported to deploy underground cabling from main towns to ensure uninterrupted and reliable digital access across Goa.