BSNL to provide 800 additional SIM for Tripura election

Agartala, Jan 19 (UNI) Tripura state election department has sought additional 800 SIM cards from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to conduct February 23 Assembly polls more effectively.

Official sources said here today that the instruction of Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Secretary Shashi Prakash has held a meeting with the officials of civil administration, including heads of all govt departments and agencies, yesterday and reviewed the poll preparedness.

''We have sought 800 pre-paid SIM cards from BSNL for presiding officers, to be posted in sensitive and hyper sensitive booths and one SIM to the central paramilitary groups,'' state Chief Electoral Officer G S G Ayyanger told mediapersons.

He informed that the telecom department was asked to provide additional landline connection, broadband internet service and other tele communication logistics, including sustainable mobile network to ensure trouble free elections.

Meanwhile, the BSNL authority had faced a serious problem due to the absence of adequate infrastructure to increase the subscriber base in state, a senior BSNL official said adding that about 20,000 fresh applications for mobile service have been lying pending in the department for past two month due to shortage of subscriber capacity base.

The existing subscribers in state have not been getting proper telecommunication service since long and authorities were allegedly reluctant to take up the issue with the highest level to resolve the problem, official added.

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