With the focus on improving communication network in insurgency-hit areas, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand approved installation of 146 new mobile towers in Naxal-infested areas of the State.
The approval was made during a review meeting of Information & Technology and Bio Technology Department held in Mantralay (Mahanadi Bhawan).
With fresh approvals, the number of towers in Maoist hinterlands has reached to 497. Of these new sanctioned towers, 73 will be erected in Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Dantewada districts of Bastar division, officials said.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Secretary said that the BSNl should appoint technical staff for prompt repair of towers Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanapur and Dantewada. He also directed for use of solar power for operating the mobile towers. Dhand also discussed upon the possibilities for connecting police stations in these areas through internet.
A proposal for connecting all gram panchayats in State through internet was also accepted during the meeting. In the first phase of this scheme as many as 947 gram panchayats in 27 districts of the State will be connected through internet, officials said.
Officers informed the Chief Secretary that works under the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) Project which is the part of first 100 days work-plan of the Union Government works for providing internet connectivity in 87 gram panchayats by January 2015 are underway. The gram panchayats which will be covered under NOFN scheme include 32 in Balrampur-Ramanujgunj, 17 in Jashpur and 38 in Korba district.
Dhand directed officials to prepare a proposal informing the Central Government about non-presence of mobile towers in 440 villages of the State. Director General of Police AN Upadhyay, Additional Chief Secretary-Home NK Aswal and Additional Chief Secretary- Panchayat and Rural Development MK Raut besides other senior officers attended the meeting.