Varamballi (Shivamogga)

The residents of Varamballi in Hosanagar taluk in Karnataka have a reason to cheer. After an eight-year-long struggle, the BSNL has sanctioned a mobile phone tower in the village. The civil work for installation of the tower began earlier in May. Every day, a few villagers eagerly visit the construction site to check the progress of the work.

The villagers want the work to be completed before the onset of monsoon.

“The work should be completed before the rains. Otherwise, the work will be delayed further,” said Vinayak Prabhu, an activist in the village.

Over the years, the residents have left no stone unturned to get a tower. They wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi multiple times, submitted petitions to elected representatives, met officers, gave a call to boycott elections, and also took out a protest march to grab the attention of the decision-makers.

Mr. Prabhu first wrote to the Prime Minister in 2017, complaining about the poor network connectivity. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) responded, stating that the officers concerned would act on the complaint. BSNL officials contacted Mr. Prabhu, stating that they would look into the issue. However, the issue remained unresolved.