Sambalpur violence: Internet respite but mobile users continue to wait

SAMBALPUR: In a huge respite to the offices and business establishments, internet services were partially restored in Sambalpur city on Thursday. The service was shut down for a week,  starting April 13 following incidents of violence during the Hanuman Jayanti rally.

As per an order issued by the district administration on Thursday, broadband and leased line services have been resumed in Sambalpur city area for a limited time period of seven hours from 10 am to 5 pm. 

However, the suspension of mobile internet has been further extended for next 48 hours hours till 10 am of April 22. Earlier on Wednesday, the broadband and leased lines services were resumed in other blocks of the district.

Sambalpur collector Ananya Das said the administration has held several meeting in the last 48 hours and is monitoring the situation continuously. The situation has improved remarkably considering which broadband and leased line services were resumed from 10 am to 5 pm. “We hope people will use the internet responsibly and refrain from posting or circulating any hateful and fake messages through the social media platforms.”

The district administration has also issued a toll-free number for the public to report circulation of inappropriate messages or posts carrying hatred speech or false news. Any person can report such incidents by dialling 1800-345-6723 and a Quick Response Team will swiftly act on their complaints, official sources said.

The internet services were suspended in the city on April 13 for 48 hours in the first phase, following the violence on April 12. However, as tension continued to prevail, the district administration went on extending it by 24 hours thereafter to curb circulation of inflammatory and fake messages amid the unrest.