Union Tourism Ministry has signed agreement with state run telecom operators BSNL & MTNL to provide Free Wi-Fi services in 100 selected tourist destinations across the nation.
The locations include – world heritage sites, monuments and other major tourist destinations where the service will be provided within the next six months. Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi said – “BSNL and MTNL will provide the service for seven years with the Tourism Ministry bearing the operational cost for the first three years.”
The ministry has given a list of 148 tourist destinations to BSNL and requested BSNL to select 70 tourist sites from this list. The Ministry of Tourism shall extend financial support of Rs 7 lakh per site per annum for a period of 3 years. The ministry has also requested BSNL to launch Wi-Fi facility at these 70 tourist places by 30th November 2016.
List of tourist destinations identified for Wi-Fi provision
| Adarsh Monuments / Monuments proposed to be includes as Adarsh Monuments | ||
| Sl No | Name of the monument | State / Union Trritory |
| 1 | Virbhadra Temple, Lepakshi | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2 | Nagarjunakonda | Andhra Pradesh |
| 3 | Excavated Remains at Nalanda | Bihar |
| 4 | Sher Sha’s Tomb, Sasaram | Bihar |
| 5 | Humayun’s Tomb | Delhi |
| 6 | Red Fort | Delhi |
| 7 | Qutb complex | Delhi |
| 8 | Purana Quila | Delhi |
| 9 | Safdarjung Tomb | Delhi |
| 10 | Diu Fort | UT – Daman & Diu |
| 11 | Rani-Ki. Vav, Patan | Gujarat |
| 12 | Sun temple, Modhera | Gujarat |
| 13 | Pari Mahal, Srinagar | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 14 | Group of Temples, Pattadakal | Karnataka |
| 15 | Group of Temples, Aihole | Karnataka |
| 16 | Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala, Belur | Karnataka |
| 17 | Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur | Karnataka |
| 18 | Dariya Daulat Bagh, Srirangapattanam | Karnataka |
| 19 | Shravanabelagola | Karnataka |
| 20 | Bekal Fort | Kerala |
| 21 | Royal Palaces, Mandu | Madhya Pradesh |
| 22 | Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | Madhya Pradesh |
| 23 | Gwalior Fort, Gwalior | Madhya Pradesh |
| 24 | Pre-historic rock shelters of Bhimbetka | Madhya Pradesh |
| 25 | Group of Temples at Amarkantak | Madhya Pradesh |
| 26 | Elephanta Caves, Off Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 27 | Agra Khan Palace, Pune | Maharashtra |
| 28 | Ajanta Caves | Maharashtra |
| 29 | Ellora Caves | Maharashtra |
| 30 | Bibi-ka-Maqbara (Tomb of Rabia-Daurani), Aurangabad | Maharashtra |
| 31 | Buddhist Caves, Kanheri, Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 32 | Daulatabad Fort, Near Aurangabad | Maharashtra |
| 33 | Udaygiri-Khandagiri Caves | Odisha |
| 34 | Chittorgarh Fort | Rajasthan |
| 35 | Kumbhalgarh Fort | Rajasthan |
| 36 | Fort Gingee | Tamil Nadu |
| 37 | Kailashnath Temple, Kanchipuram | Tamil Nadu |
| 38 | Ramappa Temple, Warangal | Telangana |
| 39 | Golkonda Fort | Telangana |
| 40 | Kushinagar | Uttar Pradesh |
| 41 | Rani Jhansi Fort, Jhansi | Uttar Pradesh |
| 42 | Residency, Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh |
| 43 | Agra Fort | Uttar Pradesh |
| 44 | Akbar’s tomb, Sikandra | Uttar Pradesh |
| 45 | Itmad-ud-oaula’s Tomb | Uttar Pradesh |
| 46 | Hazardwari Palace, Murshidabad | West Bengal |
| 47 | Temples of Bishnupur | West Bengal |
| 48 | Kooch Bihar Palace | West Bengal |
| Other Tourist Destinations | ||
| Sl No | Name of the monument | State / Union Trritory |
| 1 | Rushikonda Beach, Vizag | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2 | Pulicat Lake, Nellore | Andhra Pradesh |
| 3 | Cellular Jail, Port Blair | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| 4 | Radhanagar Beach Havelock | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| 5 | Corbyn’s Cove Beach Port Blair | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| 6 | Water Sports Complex, Aberdeen Bazar Port Blair | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| 7 | Kamkhya Temple, Guwahati | Assam |
| 8 | Great Buddha Statue | Bihar |
| 9 | Rajgir (Buddhist Site) | Bihar |
| 10 | Vaishali (Buddhist Site) | Bihar |
| 11 | Rock Gardens (Nekchand Park) | Chandigarh |
| 12 | Rose Gardens | Chandigarh |
| 13 | Sukhana Lake | Chandigarh |
| 14 | Calangute Beach | Goa |
| 15 | Colva Beach | Goa |
| 16 | Miramar Beach | Goa |
| 17 | Bom Jesus, Old Goa | Goa |
| 18 | Dona Paula Beach | Goa |
| 19 | Aguada Fort, Sinqurim | Goa |
| 20 | Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church (Panjim Church) | Goa |
| 21 | Sabarmati Riverfronts, Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| 22 | Palitana Jain Temples (Hill Top) | Gujarat |
| 23 | Pinjore Gardens | Haryana |
| 24 | Kurukshetra (Bhrama Sarovar Area) | Haryana |
| 25 | The Mall Shimla | Himachal Pradesh |
| 26 | Kufri (Near Skiing Centre) | Himachal Pradesh |
| 27 | Shalimar Bagh | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 28 | Nishat Bagh | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 29 | Dal Lake | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 30 | Chashme Shahi Garden | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 31 | Vaisho Devi temple | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 32 | Patnitop | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 33 | Gulmarg | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 34 | Kovalam Beach | Kerala |
| 35 | Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary | Kerala |
| 36 | Munnar | Kerala |
| 37 | Athirappally Vazhachal Water Falls | Kerala |
| 38 | Fort Kochi | Kerala |
| 39 | Ulsoor Lake, Bengaluru | Karnataka |
| 40 | Mysore Palace | Karnataka |
| 41 | Sri Chamarendra Zoological Garden (Mysore Zoo) | Karnataka |
| 42 | Badami Caves | Karnataka |
| 43 | Gwalior Fort | Madhya Pradesh |
| 44 | Marble Rock Jabalpur | Madhya Pradesh |
| 45 | Pachmarhi Hills | Madhya Pradesh |
| 46 | Bhandavgarh National Park | Madhya Pradesh |
| 47 | Saras Baug Pune | Maharashtra |
| 48 | Venna Lake Mahabalaswar | Maharashtra |
| 49 | Shaniwarwada Pune | Maharashtra |
| 50 | Raigad Fort | Maharashtra |
| 51 | Ganapatipule Beach, Near Ratnagiri | Maharashtra |
| 52 | Umiam Lake, Shillong | Meghalaya |
| 53 | Lady Hydri Park, Shillong | Meghalaya |
| 54 | Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneswar | Odisha |
| 55 | Chilika Lake | Odisha |
| 56 | Patiala Fort | Punjab |
| 57 | MC Zoological Park, Mohali | Punjab |
| 58 | Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur | Rajasthan |
| 59 | Sisodia Palace & Garden, Jaipur | Rajasthan |
| 60 | Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur | Rajasthan |
| 61 | Lake Area Mount Abu | Rajasthan |
| 62 | Pushkar Lake, Pushkar | Rajasthan |
| 63 | MG Road Gangtok | Sikkim |
| 64 | Marina Beach Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 65 | Elliots Beach Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 66 | Kodaikanal (Lake Area) | Tamil Nadu |
| 67 | Courtallam Water Falls | Tamil Nadu |
| 68 | Yerkadu (Lake Area) | Tamil Nadu |
| 69 | Muttukadu Lake (East Coast Road) | Tamil Nadu |
| 70 | Vivekananda rock Memorial, Kannyakumari | Tamil Nadu |
| 71 | Salar Jung Museum | Telangana |
| 72 | Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 73 | Medak Church | Telangana |
| 74 | Bada Imambara, Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh |
| 75 | Dr. Ambedkar Park, Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh |
| 76 | Triveni Sangam, Allahabad | Uttar Pradesh |
| 77 | Nainital Lake | Uttarakhand |
| 78 | Mussoorie Hill Station | Uttarakhand |
| 79 | Badrinath Temple | Uttarakhand |
| 80 | Kedarnath Temple | Uttarakhand |
| 81 | Rishikesh Ghats | Uttarakhand |
| 82 | Belur Math, Kolkata | West Bengal |
| 83 | Victoria Memorial, Kolkata | West Bengal |
| 84 | Indian Museum, Kolkata | West Bengal |
| 85 | Botanical gardens, Kolkata | West Bengal |
| 86 | Vishwabharti University, Shanthiniketan | West Bengal |
| Tourist Places in Delhi & Mumbai | ||
| 88 | Rajpath Lawns (either sides), India Gate | Delhi |
| 89 | Lodhi Gardens | Delhi |
| 90 | India Gate (Lawns) | Delhi |
| 91 | National Rail Museum (RailTel) | Delhi |
| 92 | National Museum, Janpath | Delhi |
| 93 | Gateway of India | Mumbai |
| 94 | Chowpatty beach, Mumbai | Mumbai |
| 95 | Juhu Beach, Mumbai | Mumbai |
| 96 | Hanging Gardens | Mumbai |
| 97 | Kamla Nehru Park | Mumbai |
| 98 | Marine Drive | Mumbai |
| 99 | Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Price of Wales Museum) | Mumbai |
| 100 | Mani Bhawan | Mumbai |
Wi-Fi services will be free for the first few minutes for
pubic / tourists however, the ministry hasn’t taken a call to decide
charges for using the service. The ministry has already started
providing Wi-Fi services at 30 tourist places, including Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Trimula temple in Andhra Pradesh, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Khajuraho, the ghats of Varanasi and Fatehpur Sikri.
pubic / tourists however, the ministry hasn’t taken a call to decide
charges for using the service. The ministry has already started
providing Wi-Fi services at 30 tourist places, including Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Trimula temple in Andhra Pradesh, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Khajuraho, the ghats of Varanasi and Fatehpur Sikri.
Dear readers, please share your views and opinions about this latest news via comments with us. How many of you have used BSNL’s Wi-Fi services already available in locations like – Taj Mahal, Varanasi etc. ?
