The suspension of Internet services in Amalapuram and its surrounding areas in the wake of violence over the renaming of Konaseema district after Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is giving the students and techies who are working from home the jitters. They are now travelling to their friends or relatives in the nearby areas to access the Internet services .
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The Internet services were stopped in Amalapuram, Razole, Ambajipeta, Kothapeta, P. Gannavaram, Jaggannapeta, Mukkamala, Dindi, Ravulapalem, Razole, Mummidivaram, Inavilli, Mukteswaram and other places soon after the violence in Amalapuram on May 24.
“The accused had sent communications through Whatsapp groups and SMSes. They burnt several APSRTC and private buses, two-wheelers, set afire the houses of Transport Minister Pinipe Viswaroop and MLA P. Satish,” said Director General of Police (DGP) K. V. Rajendranath Reddy.
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With no Internet, all online services and cyber cafes have remained closed for the last six days. Online trading and payments have also been hit.
“Software professionals, who are working from home, M. Tech, engineering, MCA, MBA and other students are facing a hard time. Booking of railway and flight ticket bookings and other services have also been interrupted,” said G. Sai Vaishnavi, an engineering student from Amalapuram.
Many students, techies and traders are seen on the road sides at Dindi, Palakol, Narsapuram, Bhimavaram, Veeravasaram, Undi and other places to access Internet services. Many students thronged Perupalem beach and the Godavari bund at Narsapuram to clear their pending works on Sunday.
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“We are working with a Bengaluru-based software company. My friends from Amalapuram have been working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic. As Internet services have been stopped, they are coming to our houses. We all are working from Bhimavaram now,” said B. Shanmukh, a software engineer.
“Some students have gone to Yanam, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and other places. Bank services have been disrupted. Internet services at all government offices, village and ward secretariats have been hit,” said K. Venkateswara Rao, an aquaculture farmer.
Eluru Range DIG G. Pala Raju, who is camping at Amalapuram, said that Internet services had been suspended as a precautionary measure.
“Investigation revealed that the accused had communicated through social media groups before the attacks and sent messages through Whatsapp between 3 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. on May 24, which triggered violence,” the DIG told The Hindu.