Jio to move court against vandalism of mobile towers in Punjab, Haryana
The company has sought the urgent intervention of the government authorities to bring a complete stop to the illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), through its telecom subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, will file a petition in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana against the attack on the telco’s mobile towers and infrastructure in the two northern states amid farmers’ protest.
“RIL, through its subsidiary Reliance Jio, in a petition mentioned to be filed in the honourable Punjab and Haryana high court today, has sought the urgent intervention of the government authorities to bring a complete stop to the illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants," RIL said in a statement on Monday.
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The Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate said the attacks have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees, and damaged and disrupted vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets operated by its subsidiary in the two states.
RIL alleged that its business rivals, driven by their vested interests, have been instigating the vandalism by taking advantage of the ongoing farmers’ protest in the national capital region.
“Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers’ agitation near the national capital, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance, which has absolutely no basis in truth," RIL said.
For the first time since the farmers' protest that started in November, RIL has issued a statement, clarifying that it has nothing to do with the three new farm laws and does not benefit from them.
“…Reliance has nothing to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them. As such, the sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm our businesses and damage our reputation," RIL said.
Last week, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had condemned the vandalism of mobile towers by agitating farmers against the three contentious laws. Over 1,500 telecom towers owned or operated by Reliance Jio have been destroyed in Punjab in the past few days, disrupting services in several parts of the state.
For over a month, protests have continued against the three new farm laws, which allow farmers to sell their produce to any buyer of their choice, bypassing middlemen or commission agents at state-controlled markets. The contentious laws were passed by Parliament in September.
Mandis, or marketplaces for selling farm produce, were set up in the 1950s to stop the exploitation of farmers and pay a minimum support price (MSP) for certain produce.
Many farmers see the MSP as a vital safety net, and are sceptical of the new laws as they fear being exploited by large companies, such as Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd.
Though the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have repeatedly said that procurement of crops at MSP will continue under the new laws, farmers continue to protest citing their concerns. Jio, being a RIL subsidiary, has been facing the heat of the protesters.
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