Congress asks Centre to ensure safety of mobile towers from Naxal attacks

RANCHI: Congress today asked the Centre to ensure protection of mobile towers from Naxal attacks to maintain coverage of mobile network in Maoist-hit areas.

"The problem in Jharkhand is that Naxalites blow up mobile towers to disrupt the network. The mobile towers should be protected to maintain network in Naxal-affected areas," PCC General Secretary Sailesh Sinha said referring to past incidents in the state, particularly in Palamau region.

He was reacting to Union Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad informing the Lok Sabha yesterday that a proposal to install mobile towers in 1,836 locations in states affected by left-wing extremism with funding support from the Universal Service Obligation Fund has been approved.