The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government will finally execute the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation’s ambitious plan to provide free Wi-Fi services across the Capital, said a government official.
The decision, official stated, comes just days after the PWD expressed “inability” to implement the scheme citing “lack of expertise” followed by instructions from the government to PWD Engineer-in-Chief Rakesh Kumar Agrawal to go ahead with the project.
A Cabinet note has also been prepared to execute the free Wi-Fi plan in the city. “It has now been cleared that the PWD will execute the Wi-Fi project. A top PWD official has asked the engineer-in-chief to go ahead with the project. A Cabinet note regarding the implementation of the project has been prepared,” said a senior official, who did not wish to be named.
Free Wi-Fi at public places across the city was one of AAP’s key poll promises.
During his budget speech in the Delhi Assembly in March, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that the Wi-Fi project, which was earlier with the information and technology (IT) department, was given to the PWD to expedite the work.
‘Lacks expertise’
However, the officer in-charge of the project had recently conveyed to senior officials of the department that the project should be executed by the information technology department as the PWD “lacks expertise” in carrying out such projects, said government sources.
In its 2018-19 budget, the Delhi government has allocated ₹100 crore to provide Wi-Fi facility, even though the government did not mention a timeline for the completion of the project.
In February this year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the AAP government was working on three to four models for implementing the project.
