Shillong, July 14: Mr John Kharshiing Chairman, The Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya has written to the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mr Conrad K Sangma urging the Chief Minister to form Special Task Force to monitor the repair and maintenance of Internet services during curfew and lockdown in view of new normal way of life for Online exams or classes and Work from Home online status.
Mr John Kharshiing while appreciating the challenges and efforts faced by State Government to monitor and control the spread of Covid19, we would like to request for your consideration to constitute a special team to assit, falicitate the monitoring and support for repair and maintenance of Internet services during Curfew and Lockdown.
He draw the attention of the Chief Minister to a number of request from parents who have wards who have returned to Shillong and who are either studying online writing exams online and a number of them are also on a work from home(WFH) online status, who have informed that most of the internet service providers and sub-contractors.
On past lockdown dates have remained closed including the latest which is on 13th and probably also on 14th July 2020 as there were difficulties faced by parents subscribers to response from the local offices of the central and private internet service providers to phone calls for registering internet service complaints where automated facilities could have been initiated and installed.
It is obvious that in these times of covid-19 there is bound to be instances such as the present case where two days or even a one week total curfew and lockdown, may have to be imposed and we have no disagreement on such steps to contain the spread of covid19. However, while notifying curfew and lockdown, exemptions have been announced for departments providing essential services.
In this regard we request that attention be taken to also exempt those providing service for internet repair and maintenance during curfew and lockdown as our new normal life and productivity would be also greatly dependent on the effectiveness of virtual online services and activities.
As in the present case parents have informed that in the past Lockdown they have had a trying time and experience while attempting to register their complaints, and have many a times had to also call a number of sub-contractors for fixing a fault and complaint.
The consumers need to be also protected and a downtime penalty clause or relief for consumers need to be also considered as productivity of the individual is greatly impacted during this very challenging period of covid19.
Mr Khardshiing request for state government consideration to throughly review the present mechanism so that a special task force be constituted or to ensure that a functional effective information technology state consumer fourm be activated to synergise the activities of all the internet service providers so that prompt repair and maintenance is not delayed to the subscribers.
