In view of the upcoming assembly elections, District Magistrate Dr. Ashish Chauhan has issued directives to ensure 100% telecommunication connectivity across the district. During a review meeting of the District Telecom Committee, he instructed that mobile network coverage be extended to all 19 identified ‘shadow areas’ (7 in Mussoorie and 12 in Chakrata) before the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
Key points from the meeting:
• Tower Restoration: Inactive mobile towers must be repaired and made operational immediately. BSNL has been directed to prioritize the installation of towers in areas currently lacking network coverage.
• BSNL Coverage: Services have already been initiated in 597 out of the district’s 767 villages, while 170 villages—located in forest or remote areas—remain without network connectivity.
• BharatNet Project: Instructions have been issued to promptly restore services in 69 Gram Panchayats affected by fiber-optic cable cuts, and to expedite the integration of the remaining 39 villages under the second phase of the project.
The District Magistrate has ordered the immediate resolution of obstacles related to forest and revenue land through mutual coordination among the concerned departments.
