Oh! City numaish visitors fret as mobile network conks out

•Traders lose sales due to network glitches

•Increased visitor footfall worsens network performance

•Telecom towers installed fail to resolve connectivity issues

•ATMs run out of cash, adding to challenges

Hyderabad: Even as the All India Industrial Exhibition Society assured to solve the network issues by installing multi-service providers, people visiting the exhibition continued to suffer owing to network-related and technical difficulties in the premises of the Numaish grounds. Visitors encountered poor network connectivity, no mobile network to make a call, and no digital transactions for purchasing goods, which left them in a tizzy.

Numaish continues to be a sensational annual extravaganza that captivates audiences year after year. As during weekdays there is an average footfall of over 45,000 visitors, and nearly 85,000 during weekends, and in Sankranti holidays it touches the one lakh mark, these visitors have been struggling with network issues, despite the exhibition society's commitment to address the network problems.

However, the officials at the exhibition society said that the society has already set up various telecom towers within the exhibition grounds due to the overwhelming response. They indicated that the influx of thousands of visitors could be contributing to the network issues experienced in the area, they informed.

According to the visitors, with the lack of mobile network, it is creating a problem for making calls and also the significant challenges for online payments and card swiping. The stall owners, who are especially at the inside area of the grounds, are asking for only cash payments, and the visitors who were seen shopping at the exhibition are facing trouble. With only cash being accepted in stalls and with the network glitch, many have turned away empty-handed.

The traders from across the country, usually those who have been setting up stalls for many years, are losing out on sales when customers do not carry cash with them and cannot pay online. The stall owners said that with the continued network glitches, the traders are facing a significant loss.

They said that during afternoon hours, the digital transactions and machines are working, but as the number of visitors goes up, the network gets jammed, resulting in a poor signal. Kavya, an owner of Jaipuri stall, said that to get cash, the salesmen are going along with the customer to an ATM machine, sometimes outside the Numaish premises for the transaction. “The ATM machines in the exhibition premises were also running out of cash, and hence we are forced to go out of the exhibition for both digital and card transactions,” she added.

At a Kashmiri art stall, it was observed that both customers and the traders were struggling with digital transactions, ultimately without success. Mariya Kulsum shared her experience, stating, “I wanted to buy clothes at the stall, but I could not complete the payment digitally due to poor network connectivity. Lacking sufficient cash, I had to gather money from my family members to afford the dresses. As such, Kashmiri dresses are not easily available in the city.”

The exhibition is growing exponentially each day, yet the officials are not taking adequate steps to address essential needs, such as ensuring a reliable telecom network, say visitors.

Most of the visitors who have been here before are aware of this problem, as they are carrying cash as their mode of payment. Kamble Shekhar said, “This is not new, as this happens each year. When we plan to visit Numaish, we make sure that we carry cash,” he added.

Notably, with no mobile network in the premises, people face difficulties in locating their close ones. “This issue has to be solved by the exhibition society,” said Anil Neelam, a visitor.