Shillong, July 15 -- Residents of over five dozen villages in the northern periphery of Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district have launched an urgent appeal to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, highlighting severe and persistent issues with Bharti Airtel's mobile network services.

The villagers, predominantly poor tribal pre-paid users, describe the situation as a clear case of negligence and exploitation by the telecom giant, which was tasked under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to provide connectivity in these remote areas.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, the villagers outlined a litany of grievances, asserting that Airtel has "utterly failed in discharging its responsibility."

They report ...