Despite all odds, BSNL brings 2G internet to Arunachal's remote area Vijaynagar

Guwahati: Vijaynagar, one of the remotest parts in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district has finally received the boon of the internet, thanks to the efforts of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

Keeping with its motto of 'Connecting India', the state-owned telecommunications company has brought the boon of the world wide web to the very doorsteps of the residents of this far-flung area that has become the stuff of legend due to its remote locality.

Vijaynagar, which is situated in the easternmost corner of the state bordering Myanmar, does not have connections by road. In fact, the nearest place with a road head is Miao, located a good (gasp!) 157 kilometers away.

Making the announcement, BSNL General Manager Arung Siram said that the Arunachal Pradesh Government, as well as Indian Air Force (IAF), lent a hand to the telecommunications company for transportation of mobile and satellite equipment.

Siram said that despite facing numerous challenges, the work was successfully carried out by BSNL staff. The woes of the personnel were further compounded by the lockdown necessitated by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. At one point, in fact, the BSNL staff had to stay and wait continuously for almost a month to airlift the mobile and satellite equipment to Vijaynagar.

The challenging task was carried out by SDE (Mobile) Karma Tsering with the help of Kanta (Rigger).

Meanwhile, Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister of the frontier state, has lauded the efforts of BSNL in bringing connectivity to one of the remotest regions in the state.

"Vijaynagar is a beautiful place in #Arunachal. I am delighted to know that this remote border town near the Indo-Myanmar border is now connected with mobile connectivity. I thank BSNL Corporate and local administration for their hard work in providing mobile services in remote areas", Khandu wrote in a tweet.

For the uninitiated, Vijaynagar is the remotest tehsil of Changlang district in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh of India. Originally known as Dawodi by the Lisu people, it has been officially named as Vijaynagar. It is a cluster of 16 villages on the border with Myanmar, 157 km by foot from the nearest motorable road in India.

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