The satellite connectivity, which was supposed to establish a two-way video and audio link between the government and the people, failed to work when the Prime Minister wanted to talk to the tribals waiting at Kasipur village for him.

The satellite communication, established through the Insat-3B, went well for a few minutes and brought in live the interaction between Vajpayee and the villagers. The tribals of Kasipur, villagers of Kesinga in Kalahandi district and Puintala of Bolangir district spoke out their grievances before the Prime Minister. While the tribal women of Kasipur complained that they are getting low wages and are unable to buy their daily provisions, the villagers of Kesinga and Kalahandi grumbled over the increase in the prices of rice and other public distribution provisions.

When Vajpayee wanted to give his replies to the queries, the organisers feigned they had not heard the Prime Minister. Even his insistence on communicating with people in these remote villages fell flat and he was told that was not possible for the link to the satellite from Delhi had snapped.Th e P M, after laying the foundation stone for the Paradip refinery, flew back to Bhubaneswar and dedicated the Insat-3B to the nation at a simple function at Raj Bhawan.

Designed by ISRO, the satellite was launched on March 22 this year. One of the third generation Insat-3 series of satellites, Insat-3B will provide communication service for the next 10 years.