Residents to get free Wi-Fi facility at 30 main crossings

Kanpur: Residents of Kanpur will get free Wi-Fi facilities at 30 prominent crossings to know about the traffic situation in the city.
The service will be available for 30 minutes so that people may access the traffic live through the Google map and witness the traffic situation at the main routes and select a safe and smooth route for their destination.Moreover, the residents can also lodge their complaints regarding road jams and give suggestions on the police app.
The service has been started at 30 prominent crossings of the city under the Smart City project. The officials claimed that if the results were found favourable, then it could be implemented in the entire city.
The crossings which will have this facility are Bagahi crossing, Chawla Market, Company Bagh, Deputy ka Padao, Devki Talkies, Double Puliya, Fazalganj, Ghantaghar, Gopala Tower, GPO Bada Chauraha, Green Park stadium, Haleem College, Jhakarkatti, Kargil Park, Kidwai Nagar, municipal corporation parking, medical college, Namak Factory crossing, Nandlal crossing, Naveen Market, Neer Ksheer crossing, Padam Tower, PPN Market, Sales Tax crossing, SBI main branch, SPV office, Taat Mill crossing, Vijay Nagar and Jareeb Chowki crossing.
If a resident uses the Wi-Fi at a crossing for more than 30 minutes then charges would be levied at the rate of the telecom company. In the absence of any information, residents often find themselves in trouble due to road jams or traffic diversions, said an official of the traffic department.
Pooja Tripathi, incharge of the Smart City project said the facility is especially for the people of the city. They have to register their number at any crossing equipped with Wi-Fi and then can use the app or the Google map to know the traffic situation of their route.
After the Wi-Fi service, they could use the Google map or traffic police app to know the traffic situations at their routes. They are not required to open their mobile data at 30 crossings but will have to open their Wi-Fi option and get connected directly to the net. Thereafter, they would connect with the Google map or the traffic police app, the official added.
Last year, the traffic police had launched a traffic police app which was connected with the Google map. The idea was to provide ambulance and crane services at the time of the accident but the people did not use it properly. According to a survey conducted by the Tech Mahindra under the Smart City project, people are not using the app due to the costly internet pack. Now free Wi-Fi would encourage them to use the Google map and the traffic police app to know the traffic situation of the city.