JOIN USIt's still 'tree-top' Internet for these two sisters from Kerala
Even a year after their plight got nationwide attention, sisters Treesa and Ansiya, hailing from Idukki district in Kerala, still continue to pull the rope tied to the top of a tree with their mobile phones on the other end to download online study material as the internet connectivity in their region remains feeble.
Despite internet being considered as a fundamental right, economic unviability is the key reason being cited by service providers for lack of proper connectivity in many remote areas, especially the tribal hamlets and high ranges.
Due to poor internet connectivity on the premises of their house at Mukkalam near Peerumedu, siblings Treesa and Ansiya click download on their mobile phones and keep the phone in a basket tied to the end of a rope which is attached to the tree top using a pulley. Then the children will pull the other end of the rope so that the basket reaches the treetop and the materials get downloaded. The plight of many children in the locality is not different.
Treesa and Ansiya's father P K Varghese said after the plight of his daughters received attention last year, some telecom firms, including BSNL, visited the region. But no further steps were taken. As the hardships of the children in the area continue for the second year, parents have now submitted mass petitions to the government.
A BSNL official said the region was quite remote and hence FTTH was the practical option. But it required cooperation of the local panchayat.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a meeting of mobile and internet service providers on Thursday and directed that internet access should be made available across to the state to enable e-learning for all. A committee headed by Kerala IT secretary was formed to prepare an action plan in this regard.