June 18, 2014
Rajarhat Main Arterial Road to become India`s first Wi-Fi enabled road stretch
In an effort to make Rajarhat New Town evenmore business-friendly, the 10.5 km Rajarhat Main Arterial Road connecting theairport to Sector V will soon become a Wi-Fi enabled stretch where one would beable to connect to the net while travelling on a car or a bus. The stretch hasalready been declared as a green corridor.
According to a HIDCO official, this isprobably for the first time in the country that a road will be connected with aWi-Fi network.
“The Eco Park and a few others places will also become hotspotswhere the Wi-Fi connectivity will be available. The first 30 minutes of availingconnectivity will be free,” said HIDCO chairman-cum-managing director DebashisSen.
In the second phase, the connectivity willbe further stretched to Chingrighata on EM Bypass, which is about another 6 km away.
Officials said the unique plan was beingmulled for some time as New Town was slowly turning into an IT and businesshub. The road is often used by several VIPs and dignitaries on their way to andfrom the airport. It is being thought that having Wi-Fi connectivity on thisstretch will bring immense business benefits as businessmen and IT officialsuse this stretch the most.
The road had been declared as a greencorridor some days back. No billboards or hoardings are allowed to come up onthe stretch. The HIDCO authorities have been installing LED streetlights onboth sides of the stretch along with planting trees and saplings along roaddividers.
The article was first published in The Times of India, 18.06.2014
