![TAIPA declares Meghalaya to have aligned with the Digital India vision TAIPA declares Meghalaya to have aligned with the Digital India vision](https://varindia.com/public/index.php/storage/news/uploads/2018/02/5c33422f97db6.jpg)
Tower and Infrastructure Providers’ Association (TAIPA) has highlighted that, after Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya state has become the fourth state in the North- East region to align with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India by notifying a state policy for fast-tracking the rollout of telecom infrastructure which will eventually develop a robust telecom infrastructure extending ubiquitous network connectivity across the state.
The much-awaited state Right of Way rules have been notified by Meghalaya Government on 21st December, 2018 that are aligned with the Right of Way rules, 2016 notified by the Central Government and will be effective from 15th January, 2019. The Right of Way rules, 2016 offers salient features such as no restriction on the location of telecom towers, single window clearance mechanism, defined time-period for approvals, deemed approvals, the appointment of Nodal officers, nominal administrative fees and deemed approval, etc extensively supporting the Digital India mission by simplifying and expediting the telecom infrastructure rollout.
Tilak Raj Dua, Director General, TAIPA, says, “We would like to express our gratitude to Conrad Sangma and IT Department of Meghalaya for prioritizing the rollout of telecom infrastructure across the state by notifying the state’s Right of Way rules with enabling provisions. In order to expedite the telecom infrastructure rollout, various meetings were organized under his chairmanship to resolve the issues and concerns of the telecom industry. The new policy will ensure smooth provisioning of telecom infrastructure transforming the state into digital Meghalaya.”
Before the notification of the state’s policy, the telecom infrastructure industry was struggling with multiple/high fees and levies, absence of single-window clearance and absence of sites in government lands and buildings, etc. The newly-formed government addressed all the issues and concerns of the industry in order to expedite the telecom infrastructure rollout across the state.
Dua adds for other states, “We appeal Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland and Mizoram to notify a state tower policy immediately which is aligned with the Right of Way rules, 2016 notified by the Central Government, if they wish to empower their citizens with the enormous power of internet responsible for socioeconomic growth.”
Currently, in the North-East there are around 7,184 mobile towers which need to doubled up in the forthcoming time to support emerging technologies. Further, in Meghalaya alone, there are identified 2374 villages which require 2,162 new mobile towers for basic network connectivity. The state tower policy, which is aligned with the Right of Way rules, 2016, will extensively help to boost the telecom network and to ensure connectivity to masses across the state in the far-flung areas.
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