ASI Signs MoU With RailTel, BSNL for Public Wi-Fi Services

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has signed an MoU with state-run RailTel and BSNL for providing Wi-Fi facilities at its various monuments and sites.

The service will be free for the first half-an-hour and thereafter chargeable on usage basis.

Currently, ASI has 116-ticketed monuments and sites and the services would be available wherever “technically feasible”, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

“The Archaeological Survey of India has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with RailTel andBSNL for providing Wi-Fi facility at ASI protected monuments,” he said. Under the MoU, “Wi-Fi facility would be provided at ASI ticketed monuments/sites, if technically feasible.” he said.

However, no time frame has been set to introduce the services, he added.

To another query, Sharma said as many as 100 monuments (56 ticketed and 44 non-ticketed), including Red Fort, Taj Mahal and Qutab Minar, have been identified to be developed as ‘Adarsh Smarak’.

Besides basic tourist amenities, he said these monuments will have facilities like Wi-Fi, cafeteria, interpretation centre and Braille signage.