Bengaluru residents protest as jammers at central prison block mobile phone signals
A police officer at the Parappana Agrahara Police Station in Bengaluru said they don’t receive a proper network after the jammers were installed at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
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On Saturday, the residents, majority of them from Southern Winds Layout, staged a protest in front of the central prison demanding a solution. (Prisons and Correctional Services, Government of Karnataka website)To prevent inmates from using mobile phones, authorities at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru have installed a call blocking system but it has turned out to be a problem for more than 20,000 people living in nearby areas. Residents have complained the Tower-Harmonious Call Blocking System (T-HCBS) at the prison has led to a ‘no signal’ area.
On Saturday, the residents, majority of them from Southern Winds Layout, staged a protest in front of the central prison demanding a solution. They said the new jammers installed in January have a reach of more than a kilometre around the prison compared to the previous one which had barely 100 metres.
Krishnamurthy, who lives near the central prison, said their mobile phones are of no use. “Our phone is always on ‘no signal’. We are unable to receive calls, messages, or even the One Time Passwords (OTPs) for normal transactions. What should we do even to make emergency calls? In Bengaluru, I don’t think anyone goes through like the problem we face,” he said.
“We have complained about it to jail authorities many times but nothing has been addressed. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also conducted an inspection in May and found that there were three towers within 700 metres of the prison which have been affected by the jammers,” said a resident who did not want to be named.
Rajesh S, another resident, said it was not just residents, even the police are facing the same problem. “In this age, mobile phones are like a lifeline. Our children have online classes, we can’t even call or message anyone and we have changed various SIM cards but of no use. Work from Home here is a nightmare,” he said.
A police officer from Parappana Agrahara police station agreed those at the police station also face the same problem. “We don’t get a proper network. Sometimes we move outside to call or message,” the officer added.
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