Govt to set up 2,200 mobile towers in nine Naxal-hit states

NEW DELHI: Concerned over poor telephone connectivity in remote Naxal-affected areas, the government is planning to install 2,200 mobile towers in nine Maoist-hit states by the end of this year.

Following a request by the Home Ministry, the Department of Telecommunication has roped in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to carry out the ambitious project to strengthen the mobile telephone network by setting up the towers in remote inaccessible areas where Maoists have a strong presence.

The towers will be set up in consultations with the state governments near establishments of security forces, police stations or other secured locations as the Naxals have often been targeting such towers in the past.

The proposal will be submitted before the Union Cabinet soon and once it gets approval, work will start immediately, official sources said.

The cost of construction of each tower would be in the range of Rs 10 to 12 lakh and funds will be provided from the Universal Service Obligation Fund, a corpus being created by the government through raising the Universal Access Levy (UAL).

The purpose of levying the tax is to provide telecom services in rural and remote areas as these areas generate lower revenue due to lower population density, low income and lack of commercial activity.

The states that will benefit from the project include Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra, they said.