Video: Union Minister Arjun Meghwal climbs tree in search of phone signal

Union Minister Arjun Meghwal was told by his constituents in Dhoolia, a village in Rajasthan, that they don't get phone reception. He was trying to make a phone call to discuss the implementation of a plant to assess water contamination. After experiencing villagers' problems first hand, he ordered three mobile towers to be set up within three months.

Union Minister Arjun Meghwal was in his constituency of Bikaner for a media promotion but his visit has become famous for another reason. Meghwal tried make a phone call, didn’t get enough signal and ended up taking an extreme step in order to have an important conversation.

The minister of state for finance had to climb a tree to get cellular reception and the villagers helped him as well. The minister asked villagers to place a ladder so that he could climb up to the highest point and speak on the phone.

Incidentally, it was his constituents who asked him to climb the tree when he couldn’t get phone reception. They said that they rarely receive signal in their village, Dhoolia, which is 85 km from the nearest town. Dhoolia is one of the 200 hamlets located in Rajasthan’s sand dunes.

The minister finally climbed the ladder and spoke about the construction of a plant to assess water contamination. When he got down, the villagers cheered and broke into an applause. Since then, a video of the minister climbing a ladder has gone viral.

After Meghwal experienced the problems of his constituents first hand, he ordered mobile towers to be set up in the village. This will be functional within three months and will cost the state Rs 13 lakhs. For Meghwal’s constituents, this visit will kept them more rooted.