CANACONA: An attempt to demolish a cell phone tower by angry and frustrated Cotigao villagers, whose cell phone services were stopped since last few months, was prevented by local MLA and Deputy Speaker Isidore Fernandes, on Monday.
After facing hardships since last few months due to the stoppage of cell phone services in Cotigao, the villagers were going to the mobile tower to bring it down. However, they were stopped by the MLA and advised them to refrain from taking law into their own hands. He also assured them that he would solve the mobile connectivity issue within a month.
Anger was building up amongst the over 4000 residents of Cotigao village and surrounding areas who had no mobile services since last couple of months and life was getting miserable to the residents of this village which shares it border with Karnataka.
A resident, speaking about the difficulties faced by them since the mobile services were disrupted months ago, said that the mobile is a necessity for the villagers.
Mobile services services have been abruptly stopped as the new operator failed to pay the rent to the parent company.
With no tangible solution in sight, the villagers on Monday came together with hand tools like sledge hammers, handsaw blades, crow bars, pickaxes and ropes to allegedly bring the tower down. When the local MLA got the wind of this sudden development, he headed to pacify the villagers.
After meeting the elders and the agitated crowd, Fernandes asked for a month’s time to talk to the mobile services operators if a solution can be arrived for this imbroglio.
Fernandes told Herald that Cotigao being hilly, except for a road, and is cut off from main taluka, hence, mobile services are a necessity in the village.
“I have taken up this issue seriously and will meet officials of BSNL to install a mobile tower in Cotigao just like they have in neighbouring Gaondongrem village,” Fernandes said.
