‘Infotech to ensure seamless connectivity in govt depts’
25 May 2015 5:31 AM IST
Adarsh Shastri, an Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Dwarka is now the Parliamentary Secretary (Information Technology) in Arvind Kejriwal’s team in Delhi. The former Sales Head of Apple India, Shastri has been entrusted to bring in Information Technology in various departments of Delhi government and convert the national Capital into a “Smart City”. He is also looking after the wi-fi project, one of the flagship <g data-gr-id="85">poll</g> promises made by the AAP government.
What is the status of the wi-fi project?
In response to our expression of interest, 150 companies from various countries made presentations before us, out of which 80 per cent companies did not ask for money. We are in the process of finalising the tender document and tenders will be afloat by July. We have planned to launch the first phase of wi-fi project by February, 2016.
Which areas will be covered in the first phase?
It’s a public wi-fi project, so it will cover public places and not individual houses or establishments. We will cover shopping markets, malls, metro, parks and <g data-gr-id="79">high density</g> areas. In the launching phase, we have a target of 1,000 <g data-gr-id="83">horse power</g> <g data-gr-id="78">capacity,</g> while complete coverage will require 70,000 to 80,000 <g data-gr-id="84">horse power</g>. Initially, Rs 150 crore is being earmarked for the project but the cost will go down as we are trying to link it with revenue through advertisement.
How will the wi-fi system work?
The individual user will be allocated with a certain amount of free data for each day, say 50 <g data-gr-id="72">mb</g>. As you <g data-gr-id="81">approach to</g> exhaust the daily limit, you will get a warning message but will be charged at commercial rates if you continue using data. We will install Access Points (AP), which will cover 50 <g data-gr-id="73">sqm</g> areas around it. The speed will be from 512 <g data-gr-id="74">mbps</g> to 1 <g data-gr-id="75">mbps</g>, which is sufficient to download any amount of data.
How are you planning to make it a <g data-gr-id="62">revenue earning</g> project?
Delhi has around two crore wireless devices. Considering 25-30 <g data-gr-id="64">per cent</g> users at a time, we will have 50 lakh users, which is a significant figure in comparison to the 4.5 lakh in Shanghai and 50,000 to 1.5 lakh in New York. We will be providing 50 lakh consumers to our advertisers, who can pitch for them area specific targeted advertisements.
What are the other initiatives in IT you are working on, to make Delhi a ‘Smart City’?
We are trying every possible <g data-gr-id="71">means</g> to use maximum IT in almost all the departments. There are 219 types of certificates in Delhi provided by the government and we are identifying the ones, which can be made digital. Now, citizens can apply online and take the prints of the certificates at their home.
Are there any plans to use IT in the health sector?
In future, every doctor in the national Capital will have a tablet to see the case history of his patient. The hospitals will be linked online and on <g data-gr-id="89">actual</g> time basis. The patients will not have to stand in <g data-gr-id="87">queue</g> every time as <g data-gr-id="69">one time</g> registration will be sufficient. The doctor will be able to attend the patients without physical registration. The status of the EWS beds in private hospitals will also be on real time basis and patients will be digitally transferred to private hospitals.
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