The Delhi government on Thursday approved a proposal which will allow residents of the city to avail of free Wi-Fi services across the Capital within the next three to four months.
A proposal to instal 1.4 lakh more CCTV cameras was also given a go-ahead.
15 GB data for free
Announcing these decisions approved by the Delhi Cabinet at a press conference here, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said people will also be able to use up to 15 GB free data every month as part of the Wi-Fi project, which envisages the setting up of 11,000 hotspots in the first phase.
“Every user will be given 15 GB data for free, which is, I think, the single biggest initiative of a government anywhere in the world. We will learn from the experience of the first phase of the project and will create more hotspots, if required, later,” Mr. Kejriwal told the media.
“In the next three-four months, the Delhi government will start providing free Wi-Fi to people. Our government will allot ₹100 crore annually for the project,” he said, adding that with this, the AAP-led Delhi government fulfilled its major electoral promise of providing free Wi-Fi in the Capital.
According to the Chief Minister, the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi will have 1,000 hotspots, totalling to 7,000 such hotspots spread across these Assembly segments, each, while 4,000 hotspots will be set up at bus queue shelters as part of the project that will be executed under a Public-Private Partnership model.
Wi-Fi services with 200 MBPS internet speed will be available within a 50-metre radius of the hotspot which will cater to connectivity for around 200 people at a time. The government also said that the Wi-Fi hotspots will be connected with CCTV cameras being installed under the AAP government’s ambitious project in this regard.
In addition, the Chief Minister said, while the Delhi government was already in the process of installing 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras across the 70 Assembly segments – 2,000 per constituency – the Delhi Cabinet cleared a proposal to procure an additional 1.4 lakh such cameras for installation in the city.
“Delhi has become the first city in the world where the government is installing nearly three lakh CCTV cameras in one go to ensure women’s safety and to provide a major push to infrastructure. This was a major commitment of this government to the people. Whatever we can do towards ensuring women’s security is being done,” the Chief Minister said.
Mr. Kejriwal, however, added that while public response in relation to the project had been “overwhelmingly positive”, 2,000 cameras in each Assembly constituency “may not suffice”.
“Today, the Cabinet has approved the purchase of 1.4 lakh more CCTV cameras. The tender process will now follow and the additional 1.4 lakh cameras will also start getting installed in the next three-four months,” Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that a total of 2.8 lakh CCTV cameras will be up and running by the end of the year.