PANJIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Wednesday announced reduction in monthly rent by 10 per cent to cellular companies erecting mobile phone towers in rural/remote areas across the State so as to provide better connectivity to the residents, especially to students.
Sawant said that the government has modified the mobile tower policy to reduce the rent for erecting mobile phone towers in rural areas to 10 per cent of the existing rent for the first five years and then to 25 per cent for subsequent year. Those cellular companies erecting their mobile towers this year will be eligible for the above incentive.
According to Sawant, currently the monthly rent charged for mobile towers is approximately Rs 50,000 per month which will be reduced to 10 per cent ie 5000 per month for those companies erecting their mobile towers in government or private lands in rural/remote areas.
Sawant said that cellular companies generally do not prefer erecting mobile towers in rural areas as it is not profitable but justified the government’s decision reducing the rent to 10 per cent. There are as many as 144 listed companies who have applied for setting up mobile towers across the State.
The chief minister said that the PWD will give direct permission instead of only NOC to the companies desirous of erecting mobile towers only in government lands. “We have identified the black spots vis-à-vis connectivity and are urging the companies to erect their towers there. The PWD has identified rural areas and the government is insisting cellular companies to erect their mobile phone towers there”, he said.
To a question, Dr Sawant regretted that people are opposing setting up mobile mobile towers in their villages due to misinformation about its radiation. “I have received 70 to 80 complaints regarding opposition to setting up of mobile towers”, he informed.
