Updated: December 31, 2020 7:05:12 am
With mounting pressure on the congressional government in Punjab, Reliance Jio and ASSOCHAM separately wrote to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday with the telecommunications giant seeking his intervention to take action against those responsible for the incidents of “Sabotage and vandalism” of its mobile towers and the industry body saying they could damage the state’s image
The letters arrive two days after Amarinder. ordered the police to take strict measures against those who commit acts of vandalism.
In the letter to CM, Tajinder Pal Singh Walia, Head of State – Reliance Jio Infocomm, Punjab Circle, noted acts of “sabotage” and “vandalism” on their websites “by unknown persons disguised as ongoing farmer agitation. “.
“We humbly request your kind intervention by order of your good office to the district administration to take action against the wrongdoers who caused this damage and prevent any further damage, as apart from the losses in infrastructure, the people of Punjab are suffering because his life is seriously affected in the performance of his daily activity, education, business, study, etc. ”Said the letter of December 27.
The letter comes at a time when farmers protesting three new farm laws have been smashing telecommunications towers in Punjab under the belief that they are owned by Mukesh Ambani, whom they see along with tycoon Gautam Adani as the main beneficiaries of the new laws.
However, ownership of the 9,000 towers in Punjab, and elsewhere in the country, rests with the Canadian company Brookfield, and Jio has a long-term anchor-tenant relationship. Earlier this year, a team led by Brookfield completed a Rs 25,000 crore deal to purchase the tower arm from Reliance Jio.
ASSOCHAM has also written to the CM saying: “Such incidents not only result in great national loss, but also severely damage the image of a progressive state. Prolonged and continuous turmoil, especially with incidents of damage to industrial and other infrastructure, would alienate investors from the state of Punjab. “
ASSOCHAM, through a letter from its president Vineet Agarwal, urged the state to redouble its efforts to ensure that such incidents do not occur.
Since June, there have been widespread protests by farmers within Punjab, which have spread to Haryana and the National Capital Region. “The blocking of major roads connecting J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and NCR has resulted in a daily loss of Rs 3,000-3,500 crore, according to our previous estimates. These highways have been blocked for more than a month with the result that losses to economic activities are increasing while the image of the State, as an investment destination, takes its toll, ”the letter reads.
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