Bhubaneswar, 18 June (H.S.): The Odisha Government has directed district collectors of 24 districts to expedite the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and facilitate the availability of government land for the installation of 707 new 4G mobile towers under the Centre-sponsored 4G Saturation Project.

In a communication Additional Chief Secretary of the Electronics and Information Technology Department, Vishal Kumar Dev, instructed district administrations to provide advance possession of approximately 2,000 square feet of government land at each identified site in favour of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The move is aimed at ensuring the timely commencement of tower installation works across the state.

The directive follows a request from the Union Ministry of Communications regarding newly identified locations under the expanded 4G Saturation Project, which is being funded through the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) initiative of the Government of India.

The project seeks to strengthen digital infrastructure and extend mobile connectivity to underserved, remote, and difficult-to-access regions. The identified sites are spread across 24 districts, including Angul, Balangir, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sundargarh.

According to the department, proactive efforts by several district administrations have already resulted in the issuance of NOCs for 294 identified sites, significantly accelerating project implementation in those areas.

Emphasising the importance of timely execution, the Additional Chief Secretary urged collectors to instruct field-level officials to ensure prompt land allocation and facilitate all necessary approvals for the early completion of tower construction works. The communication has been categorised as “Most Urgent.”

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda