Patel agitation: Gujarat home minister's property set on fire

Ahmedabad: Sending money over internet, shopping on e-commerce website or ordering a cab through app, people on Monday had a tough time in accessing utility services across the city as internet on mobile phones and dongles were shut down following Patidar agitation.Net banking services saw a drop of more than 90% in transactions and bookings on Monday , with banks across the state suffering losses of over Rs 1,500 crore as mobile internet and sms shut down hugely impacted services such as net and mobile banking."Around 10% of transactions in the banks in Gujarat takes place through internet and mobile banking. On an average, every day transactions worth Rs 15,000 crore take place in banks across the state. Due to the internet shutdown in major cities, banks suffered losses of more than Rs 1,500 crore in one day," said Janak Rawal, general secretary , Maha Gujarat Bank Employees Association.Banks on Monday had opened after a four-day weekend and witnessed huge rush as people lined up to get their transactions done. Gujarat accounts for around 13% of net & mobile banking transactions of the country ."Every time there is violence, the internet is blocked. I got complaints from several quarters as business transactions hit roadblock," said Bipin Patel, senior vicepresident, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry .Patel said, “We will make a strong representation to the government and request for alternate solutions to banning internet."