KOLLAM: Residents of forest fringe villages in have been facing a communication blackout for the past three days after the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) disconnected power supply to four BSNL mobile towers over pending dues.
The disruption has severely affected localities such as Ambanar, Perunthoyil, Thodikandam, Sahyaseema, Kumaramkudy, and Karavoor in Piravanthur panchayat.
The blackout has left residents unable to alert forest officials about recurring wild animal intrusions, including elephants and leopards. Over the past four days, elephants have repeatedly entered villages, damaging crops and spreading panic. Locals said attempts to contact forest guards were unsuccessful due to the network outage.
Speaking to TNIE, Archana P, a local resident and ward member of the Piravanthur panchayat, said the entire area is under constant threat from wild elephant attacks. “As the area is located on the forest fringe, mobile coverage here relies solely on BSNL towers. With the towers non-operational, residents had no way to contact forest officials when elephants entered residential areas,” she said.
“The BSNL signal provides network coverage across this region. Most residents use BSNL SIM cards. Without connectivity, informing forest guards about elephant or leopard sightings has become impossible. For the past four days, people have been risking their lives by going directly to the forest station to report wild animal presence. We already suffer due to frequent animal incursions this communication blackout has turned our lives into a nightmare,” Archana added.
Another local resident expressed his concerns. “Life here is unlike other areas. Constant communication with authorities is essential for our safety. At any time, elephants or other wild animals may enter our homes. We rely on mobile phones to alert one another and the officials. There’s no Jio network available here. We solely relay on BSNL,” he said.
When contacted, a KSEB official in Piravanthur said they had repeatedly requested BSNL to clear its dues.
When enquired with BSNL officials, they have expressed helplessness.