'Locals will always support': PM Modi sets March 2024 deadline for mobile tower coverage in all villages

New Delhi, Oct 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi set March 2024 as the deadline for all departments to set up mobile towers in all villages to achieve saturation in mobile phone coverage.

 

Expressing concerns over the delay, PM Modi said while locals may raise objections to building of dams, they will always support setting up of telecom towers to improve communication links.

 

 

 

Chairing a meeting of PM-Pragati, PM Modi drew a parallel between dam construction and telecom tower installation, responding to officials' explanations citing land unavailability and remote locations as causes for the delay.

 

 

In the first Pragati meeting in nearly four months, the Prime Minister raised issues about the sluggish progress in installing 66 towers in Gujarat. In pursuit of achieving comprehensive mobile phone coverage, the government has introduced a dedicated platform, "GatiShakti Sanchar," for centralized Right of Way (RoW) approvals from various agencies.

 

PM Modi also urged the water resources ministry to ensure simultaneous construction of canals alongside these projects in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. He also instructed all stakeholders involved in projects within densely populated urban areas to appoint nodal officers and establish teams for improved coordination.