– Ezrela Dalidia Fanai

The infighting in Myanmar is affecting the students of Mizoram on the Indo-Myanmar border as well. Residents of Chapi, village located on the border were using the services of Telenor, which was providing mobile and internet services from Myanmar.

Telenor along with other mobile phone service providers was forced by the Junta to stop mobile services in the Chin state which borders Mizoram to disrupt communications directed against it.

Finding no other alternative, students of Chapi have joined the students of Mawhre village in their makeshift huts to pursue their online classes. Students of Mawhre constructed these temporary structures on a mountain near their village as its sole service provider Airtel does not provide enough bandwidth to pursue online classes.

Internet provided by the Airtel tower at Mawhre village is very poor and inadequate for online classes, forcing students to take an uphill climb of about 3Kms to access better signal from the vantage point at the mountain top.

Tipa village Sub Divisional Officer, Lalhmingliana and APO of Rural development department, J. Vanlalramengzauva on September 27, 2021, visited the makeshift thatch hut constructed for conducting online classes and exams. The hut was constructed in June by the students union of Mawhre village, near the Indo-Myanmar border.

Leaders of Mara Students Organization (MSO Sub. Hqrs), VC members, and prominent elders of Mawhre village warmly welcomed visiting officials and accompanied them to the top of the mountain.

Students have informed the officials of the difficulties they endure due to poor internet connectivity. They also requested to provide them with corrugated IG sheets for roofing of their 4 makeshift huts.

The Sub Divisional Officer assured them of his utmost help to ameliorate their sufferings, and gave them silpaulins for the four makeshift huts and cash of Rs.2000/-