January 9, 2017
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Monday launched the first phase of "Mumbai Wi-Fi" with 500 hotspots in the city and promised that it would cover 1,200 very soon.
Mr Fadnavis said the aim of "India's largest public Wi-Fi service and one of the largest globally too" is to empower the metro digitally.
January 9, 2017
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Monday launched the first phase of "Mumbai Wi-Fi" with 500 hotspots in the city and promised that it would cover 1,200 very soon.
Mr Fadnavis said the aim of "India's largest public Wi-Fi service and one of the largest globally too" is to empower the metro digitally.
Roaming in Mumbai would now be an experience, the Chief Minister promised, saying that with this initiative, "We have taken Mumbai city to the next level."
Mr Fadnavis has said that all major areas in Mumbai will be have Wi-Fi for public use now and has urged people to use the service, promising more smart initiatives, including a public Wi-Fi system in all major cities of Maharashtra. Coming up next as smart cities are Pune and Nagpur, he said.
From today, the office of Mumbai's Police Commissioner, the Vidhan Bhawan, Kalanagar in Bandra, the Bombay High Court and many areas in the eastern and western suburbs have public Wi-Fi.
At the moment, all key stations in Mumbai including Mumbai Central, Churchgate, Bandra terminus, Dadar offer Wi-Fi facility. Other locations extending Wi-Fi access include Gateway of India, Kala Ghoda, Marine Drive and Fashion Street.
The launch comes just ahead of crucial municipal elections in Mumbai. After wins in national and assembly elections and major gains in other civic elections in the state, the BJP is looking to take control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC, Asia's richest civic body.
To be held in 2017, the BMC election is being pegged as a battle between the BJP and ally Shiv Sena, if the two decide not to contest in partnership – a situation seen as most likely given their frosty relations in recent months.
The two parties have shared power in the BMC for more than 20 years now, with the BJP playing junior partner. In the current BMC, 75 of the 227 corporators are from the Shiv Sena and 33 are from the BJP, while the Congress has 52 and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party has 28.
Local BJP leaders reckon the party can be the largest party if its contests these elections alone.
The BJP played second fiddle for years to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, but in 2014, followed up a solid performance in the parliamentary elections with major gains in the assembly elections a few months later. The BJP has also made major inroads into Congress and NCP strongholds in civic elections held since last month in the rest of the state.
Courtesy: NDTV
