Residents protest by blocking a major road due to inadequate cellphone coverage.

On a Monday morning, the residents of Gudari village in Khajuripada block, located in Kandhamal district, took to the streets in protest. They were demanding a lasting solution to the ongoing mobile network issues that have been disrupting their daily lives, including education and government services. The villagers were determined to make their voices heard and blocked National Highway 157 for over three hours, causing traffic to come to a standstill.

The protest kicked off at 8 am as villagers from Gudari were joined by people from nearby areas. Together, they staged a road blockade on the highway that connects Phulbani and Bhubaneswar. This resulted in hundreds of vehicles being stranded on both sides of the road, causing inconvenience to travelers and commuters.

Gudari village, which is situated about 2 km from Phulbani town, has been struggling with poor mobile connectivity for quite some time now. The villagers claimed that despite numerous appeals to the block and district administrations, as well as the telecom service provider, the issue remained unresolved. They emphasized that the lack of reliable network connectivity has significantly impacted the students' studies and brought many digital government services at the gram panchayat level to a halt.

Frustrated with the inaction of authorities, the villagers decided to take matters into their own hands and stage a peaceful protest. Upon learning about the situation, Sub-Inspector Dinabandhu Pradhan and his team of police personnel arrived at the protest site. They held discussions with the demonstrators, and after much negotiation, the police and district officials assured the villagers that the network issue would be permanently resolved within two months.

This assurance was enough to convince the villagers to end the blockade and allow traffic to resume on the highway. However, they also warned that if the authorities failed to fulfill their promise within the specified time frame, they would intensify their agitation. Amit Kumar Digal, the vice-chairman of the Samiti, joined the villagers in urging the administration to take immediate action and ensure the promised improvement in mobile connectivity.

The villagers were hopeful that their voices had finally been heard and that their long-standing issue would soon be resolved. They ended their protest, and normalcy was restored on National Highway 157. This incident serves as a reminder that the power of unity and peaceful protest can bring about positive change in society.