By Prime Minister Narendra
Copyright thehindu
The commissioning of 92,633 new 4G sites virtually across the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event held in Jharsuguda in Odisha on Saturday has also brought 17 remote villages of Chamarajanagar district, hitherto unconnected by any telecom service provider, under the 4G network.
Though the live relay of the Prime Minister’s virtual inauguration was held at Arepalya village in Kollegal taluk on Saturday, BSNL officials said the event also marked the upgrading of more than 100 BSNL telecom sites to 4G in Chamarajanagar district, including the extension of telephone and Internet services to 17 ‘network shadow’ villages of the border district situated in remote, hilly and forested areas, where no telecom service provider was offering its services.
MLA for Kollegal A.R. Krishnamurthy, Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Nag, and BSNL officials were also present at the live relay of the Prime Minister’s programme at Arepalya village.
Ms. Shilpa Nag told The Hindu over telephone that the authorities had identified about 22 ‘network shadow’ villages in district without any telecom services. Out of them, 17 have now been covered under the BSNL’s 4G Saturation Project, while work is under way to provide connectivity to the remaining five villages.
The noteworthy sites, where new saturation BSNL 4G towers were brought ‘On Air’ included Kumbeshvara colony, Muraatipaalya, Sotthanahundi, Nagapatna, Ranganathapura, Yelachatti, Dadadahalli, Bandipura, Halahalli, Naganatta, Dinnahalli, Hoogya, Minnya A. Beat, Gopinatham Beat, Arabigere-75, Gundal A Beat, Boodiguppa and notably, Arepalya in Kollegal taluk, among others.
“Though the towers were functioning for the last six months, they were formally inaugurated today,” said a BSNL official. The people residing in these areas were not able to use any mobile phone till the towers were commissioned under the BSNL’s 4G Saturation Project, which is aimed at bringing high-speed mobile internet to underserved regions.
Work on setting up 4G saturation towers was, however, under progress at five more locations, which will cover Mariyapura, Channur Beat, Saggayam A. Beat, Indiganatha A. Beat and Bhutaani Podu.
Pointing out that the commissioning of the 4G towers at places like Arepalya despite challenges such as its location signifies the government’s commitment to digital inclusion. “This new connectivity will empower local residents, enable digital education, bridge the urban-rural divide, provide connectivity during medical emergencies and open economic opportunities in Arepalya and adjacent regions,” said a press release.
According to BSNL officials, Karnataka accounted for 600 such saturation sites out of the estimated 14,000 across India, which had been taken up under the 4G Saturation Project.
