Taj Mahal all set to make Wi-Fi free for visitors:The  Union Minister for Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad launched half-an-hour free Wi-Fi Interet facility in the Taj Mahal. Anyone wishing to remain logged in for more than half-an-hour can do so by paying Rs 30 an hour.

After free usage limit of 30 minutes is exhausted, one can continue using the service on paid basis for which subscription plans are available in the denomination of Rs 20, Rs 30, Rs 50 and Rs 70 for validity of 30 min, 60 min, 120 min and one day, respectively. Tourists visiting the Taj Mahal will now be able to upload selfies or photographs clicked with their loved ones directly from the 17th century monument of love.

State-run BSNL will set up 40,000 wi-fi hotspots across the country, entailing an investment of about Rs 6,000 crore. The tender for the project is likely to be floated by July and it will be completed by 2018.

The company also inaugurated WiFi facility at Taj Mahal as part of the government’s plan to put such services at major tourist places. This year BSNL will set up another 2,500 WiFi hot spots at 250 locations at the cost of Rs 500 crore. BSNL CMD Anupam Srivastava said that of these 200 hot spots have already been set up.

BSNL has made special arrangements to introduce the facility with support from Quadgen, a Bengaluru-based company. Future plans include introducing Wi-Fi at the Fathepur Sikri complex. The Agra Cantt railway station is already Wi-Fi enabled. Taj Mahal remains India’s major tourist draw, visited by six million in 2014.