COVID-19 Lockdown: Stop Beating Telecom Staff, Centre Tells Odisha Police

Bhubaneswar: The Union Communications Ministry has expressed concern over incidents of policemen in Odisha beating the staff of telecommunication, internet and infrastructure service providers during the countrywide lockdown against COVID-19.

The ministry also urged the police administration in the state to take immediate remedial action in this regard.

Such incidents have caused a demoralizing effect on the engineers and technicians of telecom service providers as they are reluctant to move out for maintenance work, chairman of the ministry’s State Telecom Disaster Coordination Committee, A Mohanty, wrote in a letter to all district Superintendents of Police (SPs) on Sunday.

“During the present crisis, you will appreciate that telecom service is crucial for law and order, relief, information dissemination and for overall monitoring and running of the administration. Telecom is also playing a vital role in banking, e-commerce and work from home. Hence, you are requested to sensitize your lower staff and take remedial action for the smooth functioning of telecom services,” Mohanty wrote.

Mohanty also requested the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) and joint secretary (IT & Electronics) to do the needful in this regard at the earliest.