In These Villages With No Network, Making A Call Is An Uphill Climb

In times when people in urban India take 5G connectivity for granted and ten-minute doorstep delivery has become the norm, people in these tribal villages in Rajasthan have to climb a hill, literally, in hope of getting some network.

In Dungarpur's Balvania and Chaarwada villages, some 35 kilometers from the district headquarters, there is no telecommunication network within a radius of seven kilometers. Whether it is to call an ambulance or catch up with friends and family, people climb a small hill in hopes of getting some network.

It is not just keeping in touch with people that is a problem in these villages, with a population of around 5,000. People here are deprived of essential government schemes and sometimes even rations due to network inaccessibility.

The ration dealer, whose delivery can only be completed with a 'one time password (OTP)' says he too has to climb the hill when delivering rations here. On the day of delivery, people say they queue up atop the hill rather than the shop.

"The dealer is fed up with delivering rations here, we don't have a tower and no network," said a villager expressing his disappointment.

To register for social welfare schemes, villagers in this tribal belt either try their luck on higher ground or trek to the district headquarters of Dungarpur to go online. Sometimes, they walk to Karawada village, some 15 km away, to access the state government's 'e-Mitra' booths. E-Mitra is the Rajasthan government's initiative to deliver government and private citizen-centric services to people transparently and cost-effectively.

If you happen to drive along the road here, people climbing on a hill and waving their phones in the air in the hope of some network is a common sight. Those among them who are lucky enough to get some are seen sitting and chatting on their phones.

People in these villages, nestled on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border, say their homes and settlements around the hills have absolutely no signal. "My house is 1 km away but I have to come here to find this hill and make a call," says Popatlal, a resident of Balwania village.

"There is no network here within the radius of six kilometers. The government organises camps for delivering and introducing social welfare schemes but they may as well not do that since there is no network here. How do we go online to access those schemes?" says Mahendra Ghoghra, Balwania's village head.

"If someone meets with an accident, we don't know whether to attend to the patient or climb this hill for 2 km to call an ambulance," said another villager.

Even the children in these villages find it difficult to get their schoolwork done due to no connectivity.

The people here have tried to raise the no-network issue with politicians during elections. Promises are made by politicians to solve this issue, people say. However, once the elections are over, nothing is really done about it.