Northeast telecom delay concerns PMO

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has expressed concern over delay in implementation of critical telecom infrastructure work in the northeast, and has given instructions to hasten projects that are estimated to cost upwards of Rs 5,300 crore.

According to sources in the telecom ministry, the projects in northeast — one tendered through state-owned BSNL and the other by a government agency (further given to the Bharti Group) — envisage provision of mobile coverage to 8,621 villages, installation of 321 mobile tower sites, and strengthening of transmission network in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.