Union Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman on Thursday told all state IT secretaries and DOT officials to expedite approvals for quick rollout and Broadband.
Representational Image
The Centre told states and local bodies not to delay in giving ‘Right of Way’ (ROW) permissions to companies involved in rolling out Broadband across the country.
Union Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman on Thursday told all state IT secretaries and DOT officials to expedite approvals for quick rollout and Broadband. He said there should be no delay in grant of Right of Way permissions as it can become a major impediment in the growth of communication services.
He stated that there is a direct correlation between low Broadband penetration and non-alignment of ROW rules in the same State/LSA. “The problem could be exacerbated in light of planned 5G rollout in near future,” he said while reviewing a meeting for the quick rollout of Broadband.
Advertisement
“For the quick rollout of Broadband across the country it is necessary that the Telecom and Infrastructure companies are able to lay optical fibre cables and install new Towers; which is possible only if State Governments and Local Bodies provide necessary Right of Way (RoW) approvals promptly,” he said.
The Centre also decided to review the status of the grant of such approvals at regular intervals and appealed to State Governments to expedite the RoW Application Approval Process in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016, the Union Secretary said.
He also urged Secretaries and Heads of Department of State Governments to facilitate speedy disposal of RoW applications in their respective States. Similarly, the State Broadband Committees were also requested for their intervention for alignment of the state policy with Central RoW Rule-2016.
Advertisement
