AGARTALA, Dec 18 (TIWN): A famous proverb is applicable to Manik Sarkar and his lameduck Cabinet Ministers "Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions". Its a shame that Tripura CM Manik Sarkar and his lameduck IT Minister Tapan Chakraborty failed to understand the importance of establishing IT Industry in Tripura after Modi Govt's generous decision to establish India's 3rd Internet Gateway at Agartala to boost up Internet connectivity over whole North East India. India-Bangladesh surplus under-sea internet bandwidth (10 Gbps) sale agreement was signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic June 2015 visit to Dhaka in presence of Hon. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. Internet service has severly disrupted in Tripura in last few weeks. Internet services in Tripura have deteriorated in the past weeks because of poor telcom connectivity and congestion in the BSNL North East Network, poor management by BSNL NE-I Circle Chief GM D P Singh. Prolonged deplorable condition of Telecom connectivity provided by BSNL lashed out people with acute disruption in the day to day communication, where as IT minister Tapan Chakraborty is least bothered to take any action to improve the condition of the IT service in the state.

With increasing number of consumers complaining about the lack of broadband speeds despite operators promising the same, but CM Manik Sarkar, IT Minister Tapan and his Secretary is mum over the issue.

Prolonging its worst service in most of the areas in the districts, the BSNL officials seems to remain clueless and higher authority in Agartala remains mute over the issue.

The term BROADBAND refers to high-speed Internet access that is generally faster than the traditional dial-up access. However, the delivery of broadband speeds in Tripura is abysmally slow, and in most cases even not getting half of what is promised by operators.
Even as mobile network service continues to remain in a pathetic condition, the Government run BSNL service has failed to provide Internet servicee too. 

It has been decades that the BSNL is providing service in the State but till day no improvement has been witnessed yet rather it has turned worst, said a consumer.  

On the other hand to connect Tripura with submarine cable bandwidth of Bangladesh has led to unnecessary delay in the opening of third international internet gateway at Agartala via Akhaura of Bangladesh. At least six months are required to get a stable network. 

Laying the foundation of submarine cable at Agartala, Union telecom minister Ravishankar Prasad in May this year had promised to make Agartala an international gateway of submarine cable by December. But the BSNL authorities are yet to start work in India though Bangladesh is ready to provide 10 GB bandwidth.

India and Bangladesh signed pact on sharing Internet bandwidth as a result of which the submarine cable providing Net to Bangladesh will travel to Agartala from Cox's Bazar via Brahmanbaria. At present Bangladesh is connected to SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable with 200gbps bandwidth, of which it uses only 30gbps.

The country will be linked to the second submarine cable -- SEA-ME-WE-5 – under a consortium in December next year. As a result it will get an additional 1300gbps bandwidth.

Bangladesh has agreed to sell off its unused submarine Internet bandwidth to India's state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for $ 1.2 million (Rs 7.7 crores) a year.

In April the cabinet approved the draft agreement claiming the export would not affect internet services in Bangladesh.

As per the agreement, Bangladesh will lease out 10gbps (gigabyte per second) bandwidth on a commercial basis. From this, the country will earn $1.2 million a year.

The agreement will be effective for three years.

The administration is not taking any initiative to sort out the problems. The BSNL subscribers have placed repeated complaints at the local BSNL department, but in vain.

The call gets disconnected any time for several times in a day, as the source said here. The sources said this regular disruption in connection is an affect of the technical snag.