Free Wi-Fi facility rolled out on Udupi's Malpe beach
04:05PM Mon 25 Jan, 2016
UDUPI: Malpe beach in this temple town on Sunday became the first beach in the country to provide Wi-Fi facility to visitors 24x7. Courtesy technical expertise provided by BSNL, visitors can access free Wi-Fi. The only rider is that a person can avail this facility for 30 minutes per number at 4G speed and not beyond that. The decision to make the Malpe beach Wi-Fi enabled was incidentally taken at a meeting of the district administration at a meeting of its tourism development committee.
Pramod Madhwaraj, Udupi MLA who inaugurated the Wi-Fi facility said Malpe beach has to its credit of being one of the cleanest beaches in the country. The Malpe Beach Development Committee has taken on itself the task of ensuring that visitors who come to the beach get all possible facilities including security. A sum of Rs 80 lakh has been set aside for beach cleanliness. Watch towers will be set up, life guards and watch and ward appointed, toilets and parking arrangement made, MLA said.
Likewise, a sum of Rs 4-5 crore will be spent on developing all roads leading to the beach, Pramod said. A sum of Rs 70 lakh will also be spent on purchasing a beach cleaning machine, he noted. Lauding the committee for initiating the process of providing free Wi-Fi facility to tourists, Pramod said he will take up the issue with the minister for tourism R V Deshpande to ensure that tourists get 24x7 free Wi-Fi rather than the 30 minute per number cap that has been set on users to start with.
The tourism department will pay BSNL Rs 1 lakh for every three months for the Wi-Fi service, R Vishal, deputy commissioner has stated at the meeting of the committee. Incidentally, Reliance too had evinced interest to offer this Wi-Fi facility. Vishal had told TOI that he had not got anything in writing from Reliance thus far, and the committee would take a call on their offer as and when they get it. The committee had already firmed up arrangement with BSNL.
-TOI
Photos
