This milestone not only marks a new chapter for the villagers but also opens the door to improved communication and access to vital services in an area.
In a groundbreaking development, a remote village in the Naxal-affected Sukma district of Chhattisgarh received its very first mobile phone tower. Installed on the festive occasion of Holi inside a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Tekulagudem village, this tower promises to bring much-needed cellular connectivity to several villages in the region. This milestone not only marks a new chapter for the villagers but also opens the door to improved communication and access to vital services in an area. Tekulagudem had been a hotbed of Naxal violence.
“A BSNL mobile tower was erected on March 13 inside the Tekulagudem forward operating base of the CRPF, which is operated by its 150th battalion. This is the first such facility in this area,” a senior CRPF official told PTI.
“The village is located in the interiors of the Naxal violence-hit Sukma district, and shares a border with Bijapur, another LWE-affected village in the Bastar region,” he added.
Mobile tower installed on Holi
BSNL officials travelled around 600 kilometres from Sukma district headquarters to the state capital Raipur to operationalise the mobile tower where villagers were also invited to the event, which came on the eve of Holi. A special camp was also held to distribute SIM cards to the locals and activate them.
According to another official, the mobile tower will provide the much-needed cellular connectivity to villagers and security personnel in Tekulagudem and the adjoining hamlets of Timmapuram, Jonaguda and Puvarti. Puvarti is the village of Hidma, the wanted Maoist commander of the first battalion of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army.