Mentality of running pan dukans : Disconnecting the North East
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 07, 2013 -

Convenient zoning. Full credit to the mobile service providers.

While the internet may have turned the world into a global village, to the people living in the zone called the North East particularly Manipur, as understood in the zone brilliantly worked out by mobile service providers, the net as the internet is known in its short form, may be anything but the internet.

It could well be a fishing net or the net at the badminton court or volleyball court ! Netizens could well be some people from Mars in this part of the world.

Much like the power supply in Manipur, if one may add. Unreliable and extremely irritating.

On again, off again, all in a matter of a few minutes. Internet browsing can test one’s patience.

Doctors would certainly not recommend it for people with hypertension or cardiac problems. Giving another cutting edge definition to the understanding of the chicken neck syndrome.

Service providers giving more substance to the age old belief that the North East region of the country is geographically and mentally far removed from the consciousness of the part of the country referred to as mainland.

Forget the metropolitan cities, but how would people in cities like Pune, Kanpur or Ahmedabad react if they are placed in a similar situation like the people of the North East region or Manipur, netwise speaking ?

Borders more on the case of service providers taking the people for a ride.

Corporate India, or more particularly mobile service providers, falling into the mental rut that has characterised the political class of India for decades.

The internet here may be anything but about connectivity. The shopkeeper mind-set of the service providers is palpable.

After 10 pm or even earlier, most of the service providers close shop.

One primary factor is the towers are switched off, once the power supply goes off.

Noble principle of saving precious fuel by not kicking the diesel genset into life ?

Or saving money by not using the fuel ? Or a belief that no one has any business to log in after a certain time in the night ? Or are the service providers under the impression that they are running pan dukans which have to be shut down after a certain time ?

Mobile service providers should provide service 24 hours. This is the thumb rule all over world, or is there an alternative arrangement for the North East and Manipur ?

Maximising profit is no doubt the mantra of any business enterprise, but when the profit is extracted at the gullibility or sheer indifference of the people, then the line should be drawn.

It is this insane profit driven motive which is responsible for the service providers in enlisting more and more subscribers and refusing to acknowledge that there should be investments to accommodate the increase in clients.

A double bed may be able to accommodate three individuals, but six would be stretching things too far. This is what the service providers seem to be doing.

Maximise profit but refuse to improve the infrastructure. A grand example of corporate India taking the people of Manipur and North East for granted.