Growth in Internet connections lopsided

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI, DEC 9. Internet connections continue to grow in India at a scorching pace and stand at 20.45 lakhs, as on September 30, against just 14 lakhs three months ago. This growth rate is in tune with the Government's expectations that Internet connections will double every six months till 2004.

Despite the 50 per cent growth in three months, the standings of various States have, by and large, remained unchanged. But the gap between the top performing and lowly- placed States is widening. This indicates that the ``digital divide'' is not only alive but growing despite the Government's avowed intention to eliminate it.

Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu continue to be the top performers. Helped by the ever-increasing Internet population in Mumbai and Pune, Maharashtra leads with 6.19 lakh connections. It is followed by Delhi with 3.19 and Tamil Nadu with 2.91 lakh connections. Karnataka is fourth, followed by West Bengal and Gujarat. Among cities, Mumbai continues to be the leader, followed by Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta and Bangalore.

`Dotcom' Naidu's Andhra Pradesh has fallen behind with Gujarat more than doubling the number of subscribers to take the sixth place. It has been unable to cross the one-lakh mark, indicating a structural problem that has not been addressed despite the hype. Even `Cyberabad' continues to fare poorly, falling behind the less-fancied Calcutta. It has also been upstaged by Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore and stands the chance of losing out to Pune which is following closely.

Kerala, with the highest literacy rate and waiting list for phone connections, is about to cross the 50,000 mark and is placed at the eighth spot. Languishing behind Kerala are the more prosperous States like Punjab and also the more populous States like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Bihar falls behind much smaller States and Union Territories like Goa, Chandigarh, Pondicherry and the just-born Jharkhand.

For the first time, the three new States figure in the list. The topper among them is Jharkhand which has close to 10,000 connections, followed by Uttaranchal with just over 3,000. Chattisgarh fares poorly. But it can take solace from the fact that barring Assam and Meghalaya, the number of connections in the ``seven sisters'' of the north-east are much less. The low penetration rate in the three new States, the seven north-eastern States, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir point to the sorry state of telecom infrastructure in these areas despite special schemes and the much-hyped entry of the private sector.

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