In a meeting with senior BSNL officers, including Circle (Bengaluru) Chief General Manager Sukumaran N.K. and Shivamogga Circle Office General Manager Binay Kumar Sinha, the MP outlined a plan to upgrade connectivity in the Malnad region and other hilly taluks such as Tirthahalli, Hosanagar, Sagar and Sorab, as well as villages under the Byndoor Assembly constituency.
Raghavendra highlighted that unreliable mobile networks are preventing schoolchildren from accessing online learning platforms and delaying the updating of beneficiary data at fair‑price shops, anganwadi centres and other public offices.
A proposal submitted earlier sought 4G towers for 398 villages in the Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency; of those, 232 towers have already been sanctioned, leaving a substantial number of villages still without adequate service.
The MP also pressed officials to prioritize the remaining villages, noting that a fresh recommendation has been sent to the Centre for sanctioning new 4G BSNL towers in 14 villages – six in Sorab taluk, four in Hosanagar, three in Tirthahalli and one in Sagar – with approval still pending.
Raghavendra issued strict instructions to ensure that construction of already sanctioned towers proceeds without delay, urging coordination with relevant departments to resolve land acquisition, power supply, technical installation and permission issues within the stipulated timeframe.
The officials present affirmed their commitment to fast‑track the pending works and to seek the necessary clearances from the Centre, aiming to make the new towers operational for public use as soon as possible.