There is no cellphone connectivity in 2,068 villages spanning over nine districts and located along the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, according to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Communication, Law and Justice and Electronics and Information Technology.
Responding to a question raised by YSRCP Rajya Sabha member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy on Thursday, Mr. Prasad said the BSNL was providing its services in 5,967 of the 8,963 villages located along the Eastern Ghats of the State.
“Remote and tough terrain, diversely located areas and scattered population, commercially non-viable operations, and the presence of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in some areas are some of the reasons that are posing a challenge,” Mr. Prasad said. “Mobile coverage in such villages is being provided by the government and the Telecom Service Providers in a phased manner. Under the LWE Phase II project, the government has approved installation of 346 cell towers. A majority of them will be covering the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam,” he added. The BSNL, he said, would be providing cellphone coverage in the remaining villages depending upon techno-commercial viability and availability of funds.
