Mobile Internet Services Restored in Surat and Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: A week after mobile internet services were banned in two of Gujarat's biggest cities, Ahmedabad and Surat, they have been restored this evening.

Internet on mobiles was cut off last Wednesday in almost all of Gujarat to check rumours that could worsen tension after clashes over the brief detention of Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old who is leading the campaign for reservation for the powerful and influential Patel community in the state.

For the residents of Ahmedabad and Surat, the past week was an endless wait.

"Internet is the lifeline of business... I cannot trade in equity... most of the traders are doing trading online on their smartphones...the trading activity has come to a standstill... it means heavy financial loss for us," Rakesh Lahoti, a Chartered Accountant, told NDTV.

Some called it a violation of freedom of expression.

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"It is imperative to have people get access to free flow of information and here there is a crackdown on information under the pretext of law and order... Its not done," said a resident of Ahmedabad.

"Why single out mobile internet services? Broadband and WiFi are on, so for students like us we need information availability on our cellphones," said a student.

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With no access to Facebook or WhatsApp, a new protest made its presence felt on social media, with #LiftTheInternetBan trending on Twitter on Monday.

According to cellular service operators, almost a crore people in Gujarat use internet on their cellphones. The suspension of mobile internet services in major cities of the state also caused revenue loss for cellular service operators.