Youths busy with their laptop at Indira Gandhi Park in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, March 24: The urban development authority is planning to introduce Wi-Fi Internet connectivity in major parks developed and maintained by it.

A senior official of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority said that for the first phase of the Wi-Fi Internet installation programme, they have selected Indira Gandhi Park in front of the secretariat, Biju Patnaik Park at Unit-VI, Gandhi Park in Chandrasekharpur, Madhusudan Park in Pokhariput and Buddha Park in Niladri Vihar.

“With the Internet becoming an integral part of our life, we have planned to install Wi-Fi in some of our parks so that visitors can take advantage of the Internet facility here. We are in talks with several service providers,” said an official of the engineering wing of the development authority.

Sources said that many people thronged these parks in the mornings and the afternoons. “The availability of the Internet in the parks will help them access to news through their smart phones, apart from helping them in their professional and personal activities that require Internet connectivity. Many students also come to the park for group study and they can take help of this facility,” said a source in the Bhubaneswar Development Authority.

At present, there are around 60 big and small parks, developed and maintained by the development authority, at various places in the city.

Another official said that though the talks were at initial stage with a few mobile and Internet service providers, they would select the company following official procedures.

“We will check the feasibility of such projects and we are sure that if materialised, it will help the park goers in several ways,” said the officer, who did not want to be named.

The BDA has lately been trying to make its parks more amusement-centric for the visitors.

While the development authority is planning for such modern and ambitious projects, those who visit these parks felt that before installing Wi-Fi, the authority should ensure better basic amenities at these amusement spots.

“The authorities should first think of repairing the dysfunctional light posts at Madhusudan Park before bringing it under Wi-Fi cover. Many areas of the park remain dark in the absence of a proper lighting system,” said Sudam Rath, a Pokhariput resident, who regularly goes there for morning walk. She also said the authorities should spend money on deploying security personnel at these parks.