PANAJI: To encourage private players to install mobile towers in rural areas and provide quality internet facility, the state government on Wednesday decided to reduce the mobile tower rent from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5,000 per month for a period of five years in government properties.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that 141 permissions have been sought to install mobile towers on government land in rural areas.
The decision has been taken after it was brought to the notice of the state government that students who are presently attending online classes are facing hardship due to poor network facility in rural talukas.
Speaking to mediapersons, the chief minister said that companies can install mobile towers in rural areas and pay only 10% of the government approved rent. He also said that nobody has come forward to install towers in rural areas.
Sawant said that after five years, the rent would be 25% of the rent fixed by the state government.
He also said that earlier, the rent was not affordable for mobile companies due to lack of adequate business.
He also said that when the media reports about poor network connectivity, it should also prominently highlight how the public are opposing mobile towers in their localities.
“We publish news of poor connectivity, but we don’t publish news of people opposing installation of mobile towers. We have to highlight such news so that people of the state are aware of the opposition to mobile towers,” he said.
“I have received around 70 complaints of towers being opposed by people,” Sawant said. He also said that the government will focus on installing towers in rural areas like Canacona and Sattari.
