Bhubaneswar: Shri Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, MLA Balangir has said that in an era where digital connectivity is treated as a fundamental driver of modern education, healthcare, and economic participation, large pockets of Balangir district continue to grapple with severe network isolation.
Raising a question in Odisha Legislative Assembly Senior Lawmaker Shri Singh Deo said Out of the 1,777 villages spread across the district, official data from the Department of Telecommunications confirms that 1,212 villages still face deep connectivity exclusions, leaving thousands of residents cut off from the digital mainstream.
While targeted interventions under the BSNL 4G Saturation Project through the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative aim to bridge this divide by constructing 9 new mobile towers across blocks like Balangir, Belpara, Khaprakhol, Patnagarh, Saintala, Titlagarh, and Turekela, the slow pace of infrastructure deployment remains a pressing concern.
With Belpara and Saintala allotted two towers and the remaining blocks scheduled for one each, local communities continue to suffer from acute communication bottlenecks. Although authorities have set a completion deadline of March 2027 for these installations, the protracted delay in bringing these remote habitations online threatens to further widen the digital disparity between urban centers and marginalized rural regions, keeping students and emergency services at a severe disadvantage.
Replying to Shri Singh Deo in State Assembly, Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Minister Electronics & Information Technology said that Balangir is set to undergo targeted telecommunication infrastructure development under the BSNL 4G Saturation Project, part of the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative. The initiative aims to resolve network and internet connectivity gaps across isolated regions of the district.
Out of 1,777 villages in Balangir district, official reports from the Department of Telecommunications confirm that 1,765 villages currently have mobile network coverage. To extend full digital connectivity to the remaining 12 uncovered villages, authorities have planned the construction and deployment of 9 new mobile towers.
The new infrastructure is currently pending or under construction across key administrative blocks, including Balangir, Belpara, Khaprakhol, Patnagarh, Saintala, Titlagarh, and Turekela. Belpara and Saintala blocks will receive two mobile towers each, while the remaining blocks are allotted one tower each. The installation and commissioning of all 9 mobile towers are scheduled for completion by March 2027.