Internet shutdown halted retail, wholesale, and medical trade, while banking and digital payments collapsed.
Patients under Ayushman Bharat faced treatment delays; families struggled with hospital discharges due to online payment issues.
Traders warned of unprecedented financial losses, with malls deserted, ATMs underused, and property registrations stalled.
Three Day Internet Blackout In Bareilly Cripples Trade, Banking, And Healthcare
Suspension of services after clashes linked to ‘I Love Muhammad’ protest leaves businesses counting losses in hundreds of crores.
Summary
The ongoing three-day internet suspension disrupted business activities, banking services, and healthcare systems in Bareilly.
According to PTI, traders believe the losses could amount to several hundred crores of rupees.
Business operations, ranging from huge wholesalers to local retailers, have essentially stopped. Foot traffic in shopping malls has drastically decreased.
Locals and police clashed in Bareilly on Friday after a demonstration supporting the ongoing 'I Love Muhammad' campaign was denied permission.
180 known people and 2,500 unnamed people are the targets of 10 rioting-related police cases. On Saturday, some 39 people were taken into custody, including Tauqeer Raza Khan, a local preacher who is accused of calling for the protest.
The state home department suspended all service providers' SMS (short messaging service), mobile internet, and broadband services on Saturday in response to the violence.
Local business owners claim that people who once undervalued internet connectivity have suddenly realised how crucial it is to day-to-day operations. The banking industry has been totally upended. ATMs are underutilised, and users cannot perform simple transactions.
HDFC cluster head Arvind Sharma confirmed that the banking system has been impacted and consumers are facing considerable difficulties.
"Earlier, traders and elderly individuals could conduct transactions from their homes or business establishments. That is currently not possible," he said.
"While large business owners are managing transactions through neighbouring districts, small traders and consumers are bearing the brunt of the disruption," stated Dinesh Goyal, state president of the Indian Industries Association. The wholesale medicine trade has ceased, according to Durgesh Khatwani, district head of a chemists' group.
Sanjeev Pandey, head of Kailash Charitable Trust, noted that patients covered by the Ayushman Bharat health insurance policy are having trouble getting care because of the system's reliance on the internet.
According to Narendra Gupta, a prominent merchant of ready-made clothing in the city, he has never before fully appreciated the importance of internet connectivity. He claimed that shopping centres and commercial buildings had been "deserted for three days."
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Footwear wholesaler Meeran Riyasat reported that merchants from nearby regions no longer visit Bareilly to buy goods. Additionally, buyers are not being billed when there is no internet.
Neelu Singh stated to PTI that to release her mother, Kalpana Singh, from SRMS Medical College, she had to pay Rs 1 lakh. The discharge is being delayed because the family is unable to make payments online.
PTI reported that routine transactions are also impacted by small consumers' inability to use barcodes to make payments.
Property registrations have been impacted, according to a senior district administration official. He pointed out that the disruption of ATM services has created challenges, particularly for those with lower incomes.
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