Cell phones in all NE towns soon : Paswan

DIMAPUR, January 21: Union Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said towns in the entire Northeast will get cell phone services by August-September as his ministry has been persuading ministries of Defence and Home Affairs to give clearance to open up the facility in the region, reports PTI. "The region should not be deprived of the facility on the pretext of security reasons and I hope the Defence and Home Ministries will give their nod soon and we can expect the services by August-September next," Paswan said while inaugurating the office of the Chief General Manager, NE Telecom, Circle-II here. The new telecom circle, created by bifurcating the Shillong circle, will now look after the States of Nagaland Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The minister expressed grief over the killing of a telecom SDO in Manipur by militants yesterday and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of the victim. The minister, who inaugurated a new telecom circle here, also announced that the victim's wife would be accommodated in the department.