Bhubaneswar: Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd.(OPTCL) will connect 2564 gram panchyats 15 districts of the state with internet services.
Presenting the OPTCL’s plan before the state chief secretary Aditya Padhi, and chief administrator of Universal Obligatory Services Fund of union telecom department Sanjay Singh in a meeting, here on Friday, the state energy principal secretary, Hemant Sharma, said the internet connections would would provided in the BharatNet-2 prgamme.
He said that the OPTCL would provide internet connectivity to the gram panchyats in the district of Sundergarh, Bolangir, Angul, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Subarnapur, Keonhjhar, Jharsuguda and Mayurbhanj. The work would be completed by March 2019, he added. While 2539 gram panchyats would be connected with aerial optic fiber cable, 25 gram panchyats would be connected with satellite, he added.
In BharatNet-1, a total of 3846 villages in 18 districts were taken up and the project will be completed by March, this year, said Sanjay Singh. According to him, all the 2G towers would be upgraded to 4G towers under BharatNet-2 programme.
The state IT principal secretary, Ashok Meena, special secretary Rudra Narayan Palei, and Home department special secretary Dr. Santosh Bala were present.
OPTCL, which has been working in laying of optical fiber cables since 2002, will engage 1128 technical personnels and 198 assistants for the project. The firms for executing the project would be selected through tender process by April, this year, said Sharma.
