SHILLONG, July 23: Following complaints of widespread complaints regarding poor mobile network service by Bharti Airtel in over 60 villages of Ri-Bhoi, highlighted in The Shillong Times (dated July 16), the office of the Controller of Communication Accounts (CCA), NE-I Circle, Shillong, under the Department of Telecommunications, has taken serious note of the widespread complaints regarding network connectivity.
In a statement issued here, it said that the department is actively looking into the matter. Airtel users from Ri-Bhoi district facing similar issues have been urged to report their grievances to the office of the CCA, NE-I Circle, Shillong, on the e-mail ‘[email protected]’ or via toll free helpline 1800-349-3009.
It may be recalled that in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, residents from these predominantly tribal areas of over 60 villages in Ri-Bhoi had called for immediate state intervention, warning that continued inaction is exacerbating their social and economic marginalisation.
The complaint highlighted that Airtel’s network in these areas is “highly erratic,” with frequent and prolonged outages that often stretch for hours. These disruptions, villagers say, severely impact essential services, delay emergency communication, and halt digital financial transactions — disproportionately affecting daily-wage earners and low-income pre-paid users.
