No access to UPI & e-study materials, biz too takes a hit

Gurgaon: It wasn’t business as usual for Nuh residents and commuters passing by the district, where internet and text messaging services have been snapped till Tuesday in the aftermath of protests against the deaths of three men suspected of being involved in cow smuggling.
Residents said they were not able to get access to online government schemes and make online payments via UPI. For students in the district, they could no longer study from digital devices.
Commuters, too, said they aren’t used to carrying currency notes any more, but they were asked to pay cash at fuelling stations on their way from Rajasthan to Delhi.
The Haryana government on Sunday issued the order to cut internet connectivity and most SMS services, citing the possibility of communal tension and violence in Nuh. Days before that, hundreds sat on a protest in Nuh after the local cow protection force was accused of thrashing to death and burning alive two men whose charred bodies were found in Bhiwani on February 16. Another youngster’s death after an accident in Khora Kalan in late January was blamed on cow vigilantes by the man’s family.
On Monday, Parveena Bi travelled 4km from her village in Tai to a bank, but she couldn’t withdraw cash.
“Bank officials said I couldn’t withdraw money as internet was not working. My daughters in classs 7 and 8 also study on a mobile, but they can’t access their study material now,” said Parveena, a 41-year-old home maker.
At the old tehsil building in Nuh, the normally bustling common service centre (CSC) — where scores come to apply for birth certificates and claim pensions among other government facilities — was largely empty.
“All services have been hampered because of the internet ban. There are around 1,000 CSCs across in Nuh that facilitate all government welfare schemes. Instead of banning internet, the government could have just suspended social media apps, which would not have affected major services,” said Parveen Mehra, who manages the CSC.
Some residents said they couldn’t get vegetables or groceries as most day-to-day transactions had also moved online over the past few years.
“From tea seller to petrol pumps, everyone uses online payment these days. Most of these services were blocked as mobile internet was suspended,” said Wasim Khan, who lives in Nuh town.
Pradeep Kumar, a taxi driver, said he was going from Alwar to Delhi when he stopped to refuel in Nuh. The petrol pump employee specifically asked him to pay in cash.
“Who carries cash these days? I usually pay through PayTM or Phone Pay. Petrol pumps weren’t even accepting card payments as there was no internet service. Plus there was no ATM nearby,” the 28-year-old said.
Another petrol pump owner, Nitish Sharma said they had to turn down several customers. “There were already few customers today and those who came, we had to tell them that we can only accept cash,” he added.
On Monday, Nuh police maintained that the preventive measures were necessary as intelligence inputs indicated protests could have turned violent.
“The decision to shut down mobile internet services was taken to stop rumours and misinformation. Everything is now under control. We are taking inputs and the next course of action will be decided based on intelligence reports,” said Nuh SP Varun Singla.