This village in India has no mobile connectivity, but that may soon change

The Karnataka High Court has directed Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to consider a plea seeking installation of mobile network tower in Bhavani Bijalgaon, a remote village in Kamalanagar taluk of Bidar district, where residents have no mobile connectivity.

This order was given by the division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha while hearing the petition filed by Gurunath Vadde. The petitioner had approached the court saying that due to lack of mobile network coverage, residents of the village are unable to access essential government services and welfare benefits.

During the hearing, the bench asked whether private telecom operators like Airtel or other service providers were operating in the area. Counsel for the petitioner replied that no private network works in the village and the residents face immense hardship without any mobile connectivity.

The plea seeks direction to state telecom provider BSNL to act on a representation submitted on May 18, 2024, requesting installation of network towers in the area.

“We deem it appropriate to dispose of the present petition by directing the respondents to consider the representation of the petitioner, if not already considered,” the court said in its order.

Effectively as per the court’s direction, BSNL will have to evaluate the request and take necessary steps to improve network access in the area.

While India is one of the world’s largest telecom markets with over 1.1 billion wireless subscribers, many remote villages, especially in border and hilly areas, struggle with poor or no connectivity – a gap that the government is trying to bridge under the Digital India initiative.