LEH: In a major boost to the ambitious State Wide Area Network (SWAN) project, the Ladakh administration is aiming to complete major construction works by the middle of July this year, even as digital transformation giant Inspira Enterprise India Limited has been instructed to visit 193 Gram Panchayat sites and share infrastructure requirements with the IT Department and RDD.
The administration has also set August 15 deadline for completion of the construction work of the upcoming State Data Centre at Leh.
Principal Secretary, Information and Technology Department, Ladakh, Sanjeev Khirwar chaired a meeting to review progress on Ladakh SWAN (State Wide Area Network) Civil Infrastructure.
A the outset, the representative from Inspira Enterprise India Limited reported that the site
survey for SHQ (State Headquarters), DHQ (District Headquarters), and BHQ (Block Headquarters) has been completed, and a report has been submitted to the department regarding the civil infrastructure work for the SWAN (State Wide Area Network). They requested the Rural Development Department (RDD) to complete the work urgently and provide sheds and platforms for gensets at SHQ, DHQ, and BHQ locations.
The Commissioner Secretary, RDD, Saugat Biswas informed the meeting on the civil infrastructure work assigned to the RDD by the IT Department. Civil work is in progress at BHQ and DHQ, with most sites in Kargil already completed and some sites in Leh nearing completion.
Out of the 17 sites in Leh, 12 are finished, and work is ongoing at 5 sites. In Kargil, 14 out of 16 locations are finished, and work is ongoing at 2 sites. During the meeting, the RDD clarified that while sheds and platforms for gensets were not originally within their scope of work, they expressed their willingness to undertake the task if extra funds were allocated.
The Principal Secretary decided that the Nodal Officer at each BHQ site would be the Block Development Officer (BDO), and their information would be shared with the IT Department.
The target was set for the completion of all electrical work, earthing, and shed construction by mid-July to ensure the ICT installation can proceed as scheduled. The IT Department requested the shed specifications from Inspira Corp. and asked to communicate the information to the Rural Development Department.
The RDD shall provide the necessary funds for the project, and Inspira was instructed to visit 193 Gram Panchayat sites and share infrastructure requirements with the IT Department and RDD.
These decisions were made to ensure the timely completion of the Ladakh SWAN Civil Infrastructure project, with close coordination between the IT Department, RDD, and Inspira.
The meeting was also attended by Director, Rural Development Department; Assistant Commissioner Development (Leh and Kargil), Rural Development Department; IT Consultant,
IT Department, Ladakh; IT Managers, Sajad Hussain and Sonam Dolkar); Representative of System Integrator (M/s Inspira Enterprise India Limited) and other concerned officials.
Meanwhile, Khirwar also reviewed the progress on Community Radio and Construction Supervision for State Data Centre issues.
At the outset, AGM, Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) Khushwinder Singh informed the Principal Secretary about the progress of the project. He stated that in phase 1 of the project execution, 8 out of 9 schools have received the Letter of Intent from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The 8 schools have also been allocated specific frequencies for broadcasting. Currently, these schools are in the process of obtaining a Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocation (SACFA) clearance from the Ministry, which is necessary for the project to proceed.
Singh further informed that Govt High School Sapi, Kargil has been rejected as the frequency was not available for that area. The Principal Secretary instructed him to identify the alternate application process for the same. In the second phase, applications from 13 schools have been submitted to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the issuance of a Letter of Intent. In this regard, Khirwar instructed the Director of the School Education department to identify and process the remaining 07 locations in a week’s time.
Khirwar instructed the BECIL team to submit a comprehensive template of the project so that the monitoring can be done easily mentioning the timelines of each milestone for all the locations. The Chair also instructed the BECIL team to visit the sites identified for the construction of the Studio in Leh and Kargil by next week with the officials of the School Education Department and IT Department, UT Ladakh.
Speaking on the significance of Community Radio, Principal Secretary Khirwar emphasized the continued relevance of Community Radio in serving localized platforms for community engagement, enabling the sharing of diverse voices and promoting inclusivity. Khirwar stressed its role in reaching marginalized groups, fostering democratic participation, and preserving cultural heritage. Principal Secretary Khirwar also emphasized the importance of Community Radio as a lifeline during emergencies and its ability to offer specialized/niche programming often overlooked by mainstream media. He called for a comprehensive promotion of Community Radio across all segments of society, recognizing its potential for community empowerment and connectivity.
Khirwar also reviewed the progress of works assigned to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for a Detailed Project Report and Construction Supervision for the State Data Centre at Leh.
The agency headed by Mittal briefed the chair regarding the project. The Chair was also informed of the status and delays of the project. CPWD informed the Principal Secretary that the construction of the first floor is underway. The Principal Secretary instructed CPWD and vendor representatives to complete the construction work by 15th August.
The Principal Secretary asked the CPWD and vendor representatives to submit the detailed work schedule in two days, considering the work completion date of 15th August 2023. In the meeting, it was decided that a review meeting will be done every 10 days for the monitoring of the work of the State Data Centre, Leh. Khirwar also instructed CPWD to complete the electric installation of the State Data Centre parallel to the construction of the building.
The meeting for Community Radio was also attended by Tsering Paldan, Director, School Education Department, UT Ladakh; Chief Education Officer, Leh; Chief Education Officer Kargil; IT Consultant, IT Department, UT Ladakh; IT Manager (Stanzin Angmo) IT Department UT Ladakh; Nodal Officer, Community Radio, School Education Department, UT Ladakh.
The meeting for Construction Supervision for State Data Centre, UT Ladakh was attended by Abdul Majid Tantray, Deputy Secretary, IT Department; EE, CPWD; Nitish Kumar, AEE, CPWD; Anil Vashishth, AE, CPWD; Kumar Amit, IT Consultant, IT Department; Sajad Hussain, IT Manager IT Department; Mittal, Owner and Agency Representative (Mangala Amit Builder) and other concerned officials.
