More than 300 border villages in Arunachal Pradesh to get 4G connectivity
The Indian government has installed 254 network towers on Saturday (April 22) in order to provide 4G mobile telephony connectivity in around 336 villages in border areas of the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The government aims at connecting remote areas of the Tawang district where there have been incursions of Chinese troops.
The government has given approval for the construction of 2,605 4G mobile towers for providing connectivity to more than 3,721 villages in the state with a total outlay of Rs 2,675 crore.
After a ceremony to dedicate the initial set of 254 mobile towers, India’s Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said: “Today’s launch has happened mostly in border areas. By and large, most of the villages will be in border areas.”
“Our district headquarters like Itanagar are already connected. The target is to reach out to unconnected and unreached locations,” Rijiju added.
Rijiju also tweeted: “Momentous occasion for the people of #ArunachalPradesh as 254 4G mobile towers were dedicated to the nation. This high-speed internet facility to 336 remote villages will transform the lives of the people. The border people are extending their gratitude to PM @narendramodi Ji.”
Apart from Rijiju, Union Minister for Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and Union Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan were also present during the launch event.
Rijiju also weighed in on other aspects as he said that the 4G connectivity will help the security forces and people as people in the border area used to depend on mobile SIMs of a Nepalese company for communication, however, the situation will change after he informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the situation.
The minister had also said that thinning of the population because of the non-availability of basic infrastructure had become a major concern. Rijiju also said that now facilities like drinking water, electricity, and roads are reaching remote and border areas.
Rijiju, who represents the Arunachal West constituency in the Lok Sabha, said that “we are not building anything in their [China] territory, only in ours” and “other governments did not even take these steps”.
He further added that difficult terrain and the need to create an infrastructure ecosystem were among the challenges the government faced while setting up the towers.
Rijiju said: “All agencies have come together to set up the infrastructure from roads to electricity. It will be pivotal in providing digital services to the people. It was a whole of government approach that helped.”
(With inputs from agencies)
