Singer Zubeen Garg slammed the Assam government for suspending of internet
Guwahati: App-based cab aggregator services such as Ola, Uber and Rapido were disrupted across Assam on Sunday after the BJP government ordered a suspension of mobile internet in 24 districts of the state for “smooth” conduct of a written exam for grade III posts in various departments.
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Similarly, the services of food delivery apps such as Swiggy and Zomato were also offline.
On 21 August also, mobile internet services were suspended in 25 districts of Assam when the state conducted exams for grade IV posts.
“We faced a huge loss last Sunday due to the suspension of the internet. And today also, we could not ferry a single passenger. I have to pay monthly installments (EMIs) for the vehicle I drive and an internet shutdown would mean doom to me,” an Uber driver said.
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He, like most of his colleagues, is now trying to ferry passengers without the support of the app, but business has been substantially hit.
Singer Zubeen Garg slammed the Assam government for suspending of internet, saying the government could have asked the candidates to deposit their mobile phones before their examination.
“This is the first time I have heard about the internet being suspended for an exam. It would have been better if only the candidates submitted their mobile phones before entering the exam hall or any other alternative solution to the problem,” Zubeen Garg said.
“People face a lot of problems without internet services. All types of online services including Ola, Uber and food delivery services get disrupted,” he added.
Guwahati High Court refused to stay the order of suspension of mobile internet as a writ petition was filed against the order.
The Assam government will conduct the final phase of the exams for grade IV posts on 11 September. So far, no suspension of internet order has been issued for that day.