Ahmedabad:The 4-hour ban on mobile internet services on Sunday to sanitise the exam for recruitment of talatis being at various centres across the state, affected even those who rarely visit cyberspace. Ramji Shah, 68, was one such victim of the ban.
“I had to attend a wedding in Naroda with my family on Sunday,” he said. “I had booked a cab and we were picked up by the driver from our residence in Vastrapur.
When we reached Income Tax circle, the driver informed us that the internet was off. This meant he could not chart the onward journey and thus could not decide the fare. After several requests, he talked to his seniors who advised him to stop the car at that point,” Shah said.
Needless to say, Shah had to take an auto-rickshaw to reach the venue. On the other side, cab drivers with online services had to sit idle during the ban, complaining about missed business in the wedding season. The talati exam, hitherto a subject of concern only for organizers and candidates, became talk of the town on Sunday. The state government had deemed it fit to discontinue mobile internet services from 9am to 1 pm — the period during which the exam was held.
The step was taken apparently to prevent question paper leak.
Mamta Naidu, 27, vehemently opposed the ban. “How can the government block the internet for an exam? I needed to submit my academic certificates for a job offer. I had to wait till the internet services were restored. When our daily lives are so intertwined with technology, such steps can hit routine activities,” she said.
People also had a hard time explaining the ban to those in other states. “As a transporter, my work depends on GPS to ensure all trucks are on track. I couldn’t monitor them during the morning hours. Clients were complaining about delays and we had to tell them about the ban,” said Sachin Miyatra, 31, a resident of Ranip.