After holding protests in front of Reliance gas pumps and outlets, Punjab farmers protesting against the three core agricultural laws, intensifying their agitation, have now started to cut off the power supply to the Jio mobile towers. , disrupting the telecommunications giant’s services in various parts of the state.
Farmers who owe their allegiance to different farmers’ unions have shut down power supplies to various Jio towers in Nawanshahr, Ferozepur, Mansa, Barnala, Fazilka, Patiala and Moga districts in the last three days.
In Ferozepur, farmers cut off the power supply to the cell transmission towers separately under the banner of BKU (Ugrahan) and BKU (Dakaunda).
“We disconnected the power supply to five Jio mobile towers in Ferozepur. We did this to present our protest. Our fight is against corporate houses, ”said BKU (Dakaunda) leader Darshan Singh Karhma.
Gora Singh Bhainibagha of BKU (Ugrahan) confirmed that they cut the power connection to four mobile towers in Mansa on Wednesday and organized dharna in front of Jio’s offices on Thursday.
In Nawanshahr, farmers under the banner of the Kirti Kisan Union (KKU) disconnected the power supply to 11 Jio mobile towers. KKU leader Master Bhupinder Singh Wariach said: “These black laws have been made to benefit businesses, so we are protesting because the government is not willing to listen to us at all.”
In most of the villages of Barnala and Bathinda, farmers closed the doors of the towers after cutting off the power supply.
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of BKU (Ugrahan) said that they have been protesting against the corporate sector since the Center drew up the three agricultural ordinances. “First we sat outside the Reliance and ESSAR gas pumps. Then we protested in front of the Reliance malls and stores. We lift our dharna from the gasoline pumps of these companies, but we continue to protest against the company-owned pumps. Then our call was to boycott Jio’s cellular service as part of which the farmers transferred their numbers and have now disconnected the power supply to the mobile towers, ”Kokrikalan said.
Later in the day, some farmers’ unions decided not to disconnect power to the mobile towers as it is time for exams in schools and children attend classes online.
Jagmohan Singh Patiala, a member of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee working group, said: “We had called for a boycott of Jio, but many farmers began to disconnect the electrical connection to the mobile towers on their own. We have found that many towers are shared by multiple telcos and online surveys are even being conducted. On Friday, this issue will be raised at the Samyukt Kisan Morcha meeting on the Singhu border. Our teams in the field are also conducting surveys to find independent Jio towers. Therefore, our objective will be only the independent towers of this company. We will again appeal to the masses to transfer their Jio numbers to other service providers. “
Jio Telecommunications declined to comment until the time of this report. The Indian Express also contacted A Venuprasad, CMD, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to ask if the powercom is aware of the farmers’ plans. He also did not respond to the query.
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