BSNL to provide bandwith connectivity to HP offices

Shimla, Sep 19: The Himachal Pradesh Government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for obtaining bandwidth connectivity to all offices up to tehsil, sub-tehsil and block level.

Under the agreement, all field offices would be connected with the state headquarters for smooth exchange of data and information, IT Secretary Sanjeev Gupta said here.

He said the Himachal State Wide Area Network (HIMSWAN), being set up in the state with Rs 95.41 crore assistance from the Centre, would enable anyone to get land records, driving licences, vehicle registration, grievance redressal, VAT, MIS, telemedicine, treasury connectivity, employment registration from any part of the state.

Besides, data updates and record pertaining to any government organization would take place instantaneously throughout the network, he added.

He said HIMSWAN would also provide connectivity to more than 3,000 panchayats where Common Services Centres to be set up during the next one year.

Under the agreement, BSNL would provide 74 per cent discount for providing two mbps to link state headquarters with districts, sub-divisions, tehsils, sub-tehsils and blocks, he said.

Mr Gupta said it would maintain 99 per cent up time for MLLN (Managed Lease Line Network) networks and 98 per cent up time for conversion networks.

In order to ensure this uptime and uninterrupted connectivity, BSNL would also provide radio frequency and ISDN back-up links on its own, he said.

It shall also connect telephone exchanges with points of presence (POPs), he said, adding that BSNL would also offer multiple technologies like MLLN, leased line, ISDN, board-band, dead copper pairs and XDSL for linking POPs with government offices.

The IT secretary said the MOU has been signed for a period of three years initially and would be extended later on.

The Himachal State Wide Area Network was also being set up with assistance from the Centre and total value of the project was Rs.

95.41 crore, he said.

The agreement was State IT Director Anuradha Thakur and BSNL General Managar Anil Jain.

UNI