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`Kerala must go for optical fibre network'

Our Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Aug. 28

THE Kerala Government should provide free "right of way" to promoters for laying optical fibre cables to create the necessary Internet and telecommunication infrastructure in the State, according to Mr. N. Vittal, Chief Vigilance Commissioner and Chairma n, Advisery Council for Information Technology, Kerala.

He said some of the other States had gone ahead in this respect and Kerala should see to it that it was not left behind. The advantages of the optical fibre network are tremendous and the State Government should make Kerala an attractive investment desti nation for the promoters.

Mr. Vittal, who was here to assess the progress of "FRIENDS", the computerized paying facility set up here as part of the Government's e-governance initiative, said the project was successful and could be spread to the other parts of the State.

He said all the glitches had been removed and working models had been established. It should not be a problem for the Government to find the necessary financial resources as the State's budget provides an allocation of three per cent for the development of information technology.

He noted that the Government could get computers and other equipment on lease instead of going in for outright purchase. If there was any problem in getting into lease arrangements with the private sector, the Government should get it from some public se ctor institutions, he said.

He, however, expressed surprise that none of the Secretaries of the seven departments, which were part of the FRIENDS facility, had visited it.

He said that the senior officers should not come in the way of some bright people getting trained in e-governance areas. The training should be function-specific and a dedicated team should be built up, he added.