Parappana Agrahara residents protest as signal jammers at central prison disrupt their mobile connectivity

Residents living in and around Parappana Agrahara are facing connectivity issues as their mobile phones are not able to receive signals due to jammers installed on the Bengaluru Central Prison premises.

Residents living in and around Parappana Agrahara are facing connectivity issues as their mobile phones are not able to receive signals due to jammers installed on the Bengaluru Central Prison premises.

On Saturday, the residents held a protest demanding that the issue be addressed. Residents said that over 20,000 people residing near the central prison experience persistent telecommunication disruptions attributed to signal jammers. Akash S., a resident, said, “The prison authorities have installed jammers in the jail, with their radius extending up to 500 m, impacting the daily lives of over 20,000 residents in the neighbourhood.”

“Despite having the option to work from home, many techies opt for working from the office due to inadequate mobile network coverage in the area. Jammers pose challenges during emergencies, such as reaching ambulances or tracking school bus GPS. Additionally, the Parappana Agrahara police station lacks proper communication facilities for making or receiving calls, and in Southwind Layout, several streets have been without mobile calling options for the past six months,” he added.

Residents that despite numerous complaints, nothing has been done to resolve this issue. “Hence, we decided to go on a protest demanding the removal of the jammers or restricting their coverage to the jail premises,” Nithayanandan, another resident, said.

A few months ago, the jail authorities replaced the older jammers with the Tower-Harmonious Call Blocking System (T-HCBS) at the prison due to continuing unauthorised use of mobile phones by inmates.