Chief minister Keshubhai Patel has directed the IT department to expedite the project for linking all 25 district headquarters and 230 talukas with modem telecommunication networks in a time bound manner.

Under the programme, all districts will be linked by a 2 mbps lease line before January 26, 2000, in the first phase, while the remaining taluka centres will be linked before the Gujarat Day, May 1.

The chief minister was speaking at meeting held on Sunday to review the progress made in the project, which will pave the way for video conference, voice communication and data communication between different centres.

The government also sanctioned government land to the telecommunications department for setting up 1,300 rural telephone exchanges by March 2000. A committee of senior secretaries of revenue and IT departments have been constituted to allot 1,000 sqm land in villages where telephone exchanges have been proposed and collectors have been directed to accord top priority to complete formalities.

Meanwhile, the process to commence five information kiosks at the secretariat, central ST bus stand, airport, collectorate and the Gujarat University complex has been given to Shonkh Technology on an experimental basis.

Minister of state for information technology Bimal Shah said the process to commence operations by total solution providers for e-governance and local area network is also being done at a fast pace in the city.

Chief minister Keshubhai Patel said it is our collective responsibility to ensure that not a single child in the state is inflicted with polio and called upon government institutions and administrations to take up the challenge of eradication of polio from the state.

Mr Patel administered pulse polio immunisation drops to children at a booth set up at his residence on Sunday. He said it needs to be ensured that not only the targets set by the state government are achieved but no child is left with being administered the drops in the state.

Republished from Asian Age