Odisha Government Takes Steps to Boost Digital Connectivity with New 4G Towers

Government Initiative for Enhanced Mobile Connectivity

Bhubaneswar: The government of Odisha has instructed district collectors across 23 regions to ensure the availability of government land for the establishment of 707 new 4G mobile towers as part of the Central government's Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) initiative, according to an official announcement made on Thursday.

Vishal Dev, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Information Technology and Electronics Department, has reached out to the collectors in districts including Angul, Bolangir, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh.

In his correspondence, Dev urged the collectors to provide no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the advance possession of government land at designated sites, facilitating the installation of 4G towers by BSNL.

He stated, "To expedite the installation and commissioning of 4G mobile towers at the specified locations, it is requested that NOCs for approximately 2,000 square feet of government land at each site be issued in favor of BSNL to initiate tower installation activities."

The announcement also noted that NOCs have already been granted for 294 sites, where work has already begun.

Highlighting the project's significance, Dev emphasized the need for timely completion and instructed collectors to guide field officials in making the necessary land available to ensure swift execution of the project.

This initiative aims to improve digital connectivity in remote and underserved regions of the state.