The Odisha government has set December as the deadline to remove road-access barriers delaying mobile tower construction, in a push to expand network coverage in uncovered, poorly connected and border areas across the state.
The directive was issued at the eighth State Broadband Committee meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg at the state secretariat. The meeting reviewed the expansion of mobile and high-capacity broadband connectivity, with particular attention to locations where residents have weak or no network coverage.
Garg directed the Department of Telecommunications, cellular operators and broadband service providers to identify connectivity gaps and ensure that they are resolved within stipulated timelines. The focus on road access places a civic infrastructure issue at the centre of network expansion: even where tower sites are identified, construction and maintenance can be delayed if equipment and crews cannot reach them.
The state government will also examine complaints received from MPs, MLAs and district authorities about poor or unavailable mobile services. Corrective measures are to be taken after the reported gaps are assessed, according to the account of the committee meeting.
The review covered progress under 4G saturation projects financed through the Digital Bharat Nidhi. It also considered connectivity initiatives in Aspirational Districts and areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism. These programmes target locations where commercial network expansion may not be sufficient to address coverage gaps or where difficult terrain and limited infrastructure complicate deployment.
For residents in such areas, mobile connectivity is tied to more than faster internet access. Network availability affects communication with public agencies, access to digital services and the ability to maintain contact during emergencies. However, the meeting account does not specify the number of towers facing access barriers, the districts covered by the December deadline or the funds earmarked for the remedial work.
The committee’s approach assigns responsibilities across multiple institutions. The Department of Telecommunications and service providers will be involved in identifying and resolving coverage gaps, while district-level complaints and administrative inputs are expected to help locate persistent service failures. The state government’s deadline indicates that road access is being treated as an implementation issue requiring coordination rather than as a problem limited to telecom operators.
The review also links the state’s connectivity push to national programmes for 4G saturation and broadband expansion. Its immediate next step is for the concerned departments, operators and service providers to identify the outstanding access and network gaps and complete corrective measures by December.
