P2 leadFree Wi-Fi project fails to deliver in Karnal
Strap: Users unable to access password, complain of poor range in most parks
Box: MC to scrap contract
The Municipal Corporation had in April 2017 allotted the work of developing 25 Wi-Fi zones in parks of the city to SAT International at a cost of Rs 6.5 lakh a month
It was claimed that data of 100MB per day per person would be increased and every Wi-Fi hotspot would have a range of 100 metres
But users have frequently complained of being unable to access the OTP-based password and poor speed
The MC has now decided to scrap the company’s contract and start the new process to develop Wi-Fi zones under the Smart City project
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, January 3
The Karnal Municipal Corporation’s initiative to develop 25 Wi-Fi zones in parks to offer free Internet access to its residents has failed to deliver desirable results.
Residents have complained of difficulties in accessing the password and poor speed in most parks. Taking action, the KMC has now planned to scrap the contract allotted to SAT International Pvt. It is also going to start the new process to develop Wi-Fi zones under the Smart City project.
“We have reviewed the project and it has become an expensive affair for the MC. It is being extended and now we have decided to scrap it and start the process afresh under the Smart City project,” said Municipal Commissioner Rajiv Mehta.
The Municipal Corporation had in April 2017 allotted the work of developing 25 Wi-Fi zones in Atal Park, Karan Park, Karan Taal, Swami Vivekanand, Park Avenue and Shaymalsen Park in Sector 13, Musical Fountain on Mughal Canal, Jernaily Colony Park, Saint Kabir Park, Kalpana Chawla Park in Model Town, Parnami Park, Sant Kashmira Singh Park and parks in wards 14, 1 and others to SAT International at a cost of Rs 6.5 lakh a month.
At the time, it was claimed that data of 100MB per day per person would be increased. Besides, it was said that every Wi-Fi hotspot would have a range of 100 metres.
The Tribune found that most people were not able to access the password, which is OTP based. Moreover, users complained of poor range in most of the parks. “I tried to access the Wi-Fi in Karan Park, but could not get the password. I did not even receive the OTP. This facility has turned to be a white elephant and a waste of taxpayer money,” said Amneet Singh, a resident.
Nikhil Kumar, another resident, said that he used Wi-Fi in Swami Vivekanand Park, but did not get full speed even when there were very few people.
On the other hand, SAT International Director Manoj Kumar refuted the allegations and said the project was running smoothly in all parks. He said that the password was OTP-based so that it can be easily accessed. He claimed that they had a team of technicians to immediately resolve user issues.
