AAP govt sets target for launching free Wi-Fi facility by March next year

NEW DELHI: After the completion of four years of AAP government, Delhiites may get free Wi-Fi facility at public places next year as the public works department has set a target of launching the pilot project on March 31 next year. According to the Delhi government's "outcome budget" under which various departments set the target for executing their schemes and projects, tenders for providing free Wi-Fi facility will be awarded by September this year. Free Wi-Fi at public places across the city was one of AAP' key poll promises.

In April 2017, the AAP government had set a March 2018 target for the launch of the first phase of its ambitious free Wi-Fi project in the national capital but failed. In March this year, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had said that Wi-Fi project, which was earlier with the information and technology department, has been given to the PWD to "expedite" the work. However, in the 'risk factor column' in the outcome budget, the PWD said that in the March 27 meeting this year, the department had intimated that it will not be able to execute Wi-Fi project due to "non-availability of sufficient staff" and "no expertise" in this field.

The department said the expected date for issue of request for proposals (RFP) is June 30. It also said that expected date for "commissioning of Wi-Fi hotspots at pilot stage" is March 31, 2019. In its 2018-19 budget, the Delhi government has allocated Rs 100 crore to provide Wi-Fi facility.

As the AAP formed government in Delhi, the project was initially assigned to the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi chaired by the chief minister. In March 2016, the Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC) had started first free Wi-Fi facility on a three-month pilot basis in Sant Nagar market in North Delhi's Burari. Thereafter, the AAP had promised that over 500 locations across East Delhi would be made high-speed Wi-Fi zones by December 2016, but there was no progress.