The tribal children of Shingapara (Muthikulam) colony, deep inside the Siruvani forest in the district, were on cloud nine on Thursday as they got Internet connectivity for the first time in their hamlet.
The 36 Irula families residing at Sholayur grama panchayat of Attappady block have been virtually marooned because of their location, which is about 30 km from Mannarkkad. The colony people have been travelling nearly three hours to reach Sholayur for their everyday needs.
The Internet brought in excitement, but soon a pall of gloom fell over the children soon after Subcollector Arjun Pandian inaugurated the connectivity. Some of them cried on learning that Mr. Pandian was transferred to Wayanad.
Mr. Pandian had gone the extra mile to bring Internet connectivity to the children. “During my visit to the colony in February this year that I learned that the children, including those who pursue degree courses, had to walk five kilometres to access Internet for online education,” said Mr. Pandian.
A collective effort
His initiative led to a joint effort by the Department of Forests, Sirivani Irrigation Project, the Department of Tribal Development, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL). With the green signal from the Forest authorities, the Siruvani Irrigation Project extended its BSNL leaseline facility set up for monitoring water level in Siruvani Dam.
“It was a heartwarming moment when the colony got mobile network and digital coverage with the help of BSNL,” said Mr. Pandian. With the help of WiFi routers, they could access Internet from their homes.
Mr. Pandian was a contented man as he started packing for his Wayanad stint. “Initially we could give them Internet with 8 mbps speed. Around 10 persons could access it at the same time,” he said. The facility would be expanded in the coming days, he added.
