Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, once infamous for curfews and terror attacks, could soon become a free wi-fi zone. The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration is planning for the first time eight such zones in Srinagar under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode as part of making it a Smart City.
The eight “tentative locations” identified to be made wi-fi zones include Lal Chowk, the wooden-arch Zero Bridge on the Jhelum river, the three famous gardens of Chashme Shahi, Nishat Garden, Shalimar Bagh, sections of both sides of the Jhelum riverfront, and the VIP zone of Polo View and Residency Road. News18 has accessed a government document which details the plan and asks for a survey of these eight locations in Srinagar.
“The purpose of the wi-fi zones is to provide high speed internet access to citizens and tourists in areas of Srinagar with a high footfall, places of interest to tourists and locations where other commercial activities happen. Wi-fi access at these locations acts as a magnet,” the document says. High-speed internet access will be provided to all users for the first 15 minutes, followed by an option of continuing internet access by purchasing additional time or data.
The document says the idea is also to make it possible for e-government services to be delivered to citizens faster and at a lower operating expense. For example, Lal Chowk is also a major trading centre where businessmen have been complaining of poor internet connectivity which is hindering business through digital payment means. The document says the move will lead to local economic development and increased access to online services.
These wi-fi zones could also provide for digital information panel boards, which could be a source of revenue and provide a platform for disseminating information to the public, the document says. A monitoring control centre will be established for connectivity of the eight wi-fi zones and to set up the fibre network. The public wi-fi will be free for the first 15 minutes per mobile subscriber a day and an aggregate limit of 300 MB per month, the document says.
News18 has been reporting on various revamp plans for Srinagar, including a proposal to set up the state’s first theme-cum-amusement park, a Ferris wheel in the Dal Lake and facade improvement of the downtown area. J&K saw a record number of tourists in the last financial year and all these moves are aimed at attracting more visitors and reinforcing the image of normalcy.
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