[wsfii-discuss] Dehradun as venue for 2006?

Wed Sep 7 07:44:16 UTC 2005

On behalf of IDRC, Mahabir will shortly be visiting the villages in
Dehradun area and see if it possible to set up wireless network in
that area for the poverty alleviation program. It occured to me, that
I know Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Industries and Information
Technology,
Government of Uttaranchal. Dehradun is the capital of this state, at
the foothills of the Himalayas. I asked him if they would host WSFII
2006, and he was very enthusiastic.

The advantages of doing this in Dehradun would include:

1. There is likely to be a wireless network in the area by next year. 
2. This technology has tremendous potential in the area.
3. If the government is involved, obtaining visas would be a lot easier.
4. Maybe we can get IDRC to support this conference. The government
will surely do a bit too.

He was asking how many people would come, and I said 100-150. Is that
a realistic figure? If the number turns out to be larger, that will
not be a problem. We both thought October would be a great time to do
this, because the monsoons will be over by then, and the weather will
be perfect for outdoor activities.

Thoughts?

Arun