Uttarakhand: Cabinet nod to incentives to set up telecom towers in ‘dark villages’

The Uttarakhand cabinet on Friday approved an amendment in the states’ information technology (IT) policy to provide incentives of up to Rs 40 lakh to facilitate private telecom companies to install towers in ‘dark villages’ where telecommunication facilities are unavailable at present.

‘Dark villages’ are rural habitations where no telecom service provider (TSP) or internet service provider (ISP) is available. The decision by the state cabinet is significant from a strategic point of view as generally such villages in Uttarakhand are located along the international borders with China and Nepal.

According to government sources, there are 438 ‘dark villages’ in the state at present. Telecom companies hesitate in installing towers in such areas because they do not find it financially viable, they said.