Govt orders survey of mobile connectivity in Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg

Maharashtra's Minister for Electronics directed officials to conduct a taluka-wise survey to address mobile network problems in remote areas of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.

Maharashtra Minister for Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Ashish Shelar on Tuesday directed officials to carry out a fresh taluka-wise survey to address mobile network problems in remote areas of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of the Konkan region.

The survey will be conducted jointly by district collectors, officials of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and public representatives, and a detailed action plan will be prepared on the basis of the findings, Shelar said during a review meeting.

MLA Shekhar Nikam said that several villages in Ratnagiri district, including Devrukh, still do not have mobile coverage, and hilly areas continue to face serious connectivity issues.

In response, Shelar proposed organising a ''Connectivity Darbar'' in every taluka, where BSNL officials, local MLAs, gram panchayat representatives and citizens will jointly identify and record on-ground connectivity problems.

Officials informed the meeting that in Sindhudurg district, 704 out of 746 villages have mobile coverage, while 677 villages have access to 4G services.

In Ratnagiri district, 1,472 out of 1,538 villages have mobile coverage and 1,461 villages are covered by 4G services, they said.