LUCKNOW: With six months left for assembly polls, BJP is set to fulfil a major poll promise by providing free WiFi at public places in the state.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced that on August 15, high-speed WiFi connectivity will be made available at 217 public places under 75 district headquarters, municipal councils and municipal corporations. As per plan, WiFi will be provided at two locations in big cities and one in small towns.
The urban development department has begun chalking out the blueprint to swiftly implement the project. Divisional commissioners, district magistrates and municipal commissioners have been asked to identify hotspots at major public places, which include bus stands, railway stations, tehsils, courts, block and registrar offices and main markets. A government spokesperson said, the proposal entails free WiFi availability at two places in cities under municipal corporations and at one location in smaller towns. The expenditure will be borne by the Smart City Project or urban bodies.
Such facilities can be expected in Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Jhansi, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Meerut, Shahjahanpur, Ghaziabad, Mathura-Vrindavan and Firozabad.
“The CM has directed the urban development department to tie up with internet companies to set up the facility across the state, while ensuring high-speed connectivity. The expenditure will be borne by the Smart City Project or urban bodies. Urban local bodies have also been asked to provide regular updates on the status of installation to quickly address glitches,” the spokesperson said. He added companies engaged in WiFi installation will be responsible for maintenance and the speed will be decided by local authorities.
