Cabinet approves 1,836 mobile towers for Naxal-affected areas

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Wednesday approved installation of 1,836 new base transmission mobile phone towers worth Rs.3,216 crore for better telecom connectivity in the Left-wing extremism (LWE) -affected areas.

"A sum of Rs.3,216 crore has been allotted for installing 1,836 new base transmission stations," Telecommunications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the meeting.

He said Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has been given the charge of installing these towers.

The minister added that BSNL has already installed 363 towers in the LWE-affected areas and it will be subsidised by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) scheme.

Recently, Prasad informed the Lok Sabha that the government was concerned about the coverage and quality of telecommunication services in the LWE-affected areas and mobile networks, under the USOF scheme, are expected to be set up in 15 months.