State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will install 246 telecom towers in the naxal-affected areas to improve telecom connectivity. In the first phase, BSNL will install 146 mobile towers. Out of these, around 80 towers will be installed by March 2015 and 40 of them will start operating soon thereafter. The remaining 100 telecom towers will be installed in the next phase which has a deadline of end-August 2015.
Further, BSNL has asked the government to provide training to local youth and police for maintenance of these towers. It has also asked for proper availability of spare batteries for towers to avoid interruption while the towers are in service.
