During a recent meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, public sector undertaking BSNL was pulled up for delaying setting up of mobile network in the Naxal-hit areas, official sources said.
The meeting saw the participants expressing surprise over the inability of BSNL for even starting the already erected 393 towers in the region, the sources said.
The matter will come up tomorrow before the Telecom Commission, the first one to be held in the new government.
Security agencies had urged the authorities concerned to speed up phone connectivity at nearly 2,200 locations across nine states.
Also Read
In another move, the government may open up seamless 2G cover in northeast, except Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam, to private players.
However, the government may press for a pre-condition to set up telecom manufacturing equipment within northeastern states for any telecom company bidding for that region, the sources said.
Several parts of the northeast do not have proper mobile network connection and the issue was flagged by the government as its priority.
A total estimated project cost of providing seamless mobile coverage was pegged at Rs 5,336.18 crore and will include providing seamless 2G mobile coverage along the National Highways through open competitive bidding process, the sources said.