In a rare feat, two government departments in Andhra Pradesh have succeeded geo-mapping 3.6 lakh electricity poles in four days to enable laying of aerial fibre network to provide internet and broadband connections at Rs. 150 per month to 1.3 crore households in the State. The government intends to complete rolling of broadband connections by December.
The Investment & Infrastructure and Energy and the Rural Development departments executed the challenging exercise for the ambitious plan of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The two departments were tasked with the job after the government estimated that the private GPS/GIS agencies will take not less than six months and charge any where between Rs.6 crore and Rs.10 crore.
“The deadline for the entire project is December, 2015. If the geo-tagging alone takes months, we cannot meet the deadline set by the Chief Minister Naidu to roll out broadband connections,” senior officials told The Hindu .
The location-specific (GIS) data on poles and sub-stations is needed for laying “aerial fibre network” which rides overhead on the existing electricity poles to provide internet connection. There are 3.6 lakh of poles and 2,600 substations spread around 23,000 km. Without the basic data, one cannot design the optimal route for pulling the fibre, officials have said.
RD commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu said, “We are proud that our field teams working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and experienced in geo-tagging of NREGS works could complete the task in four days and save crores. A perfect example to show even semi-skilled persons can create wonders with the right kind of technology.”
About 4,000 field-level personnel from NREGS and the engineers of power distribution companies and linemen were explained through teleconference about the process and the special software deployed in the GPS phones for geo-tagging energy department assets. The geo tagging of assets with unique ID would help in identifying the specific problem area in the aerial fibre network and address it, he said.
Ajay Jain, Secretary, I &I and Energy said now that the geo-tagging of poles and substations was done, detailed optimum route plans were being finalised to know the quantum of fibre required.
Links 3.6 lakh electricity poles by “geo-tagging” in four days, seeks to provide broadband @ Rs. 150 per month
