Himachal races to restore telecom services after rains cripple connectivity in Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti
Photo used for indicative purpose only
Shimla, Sept 3,
The Himachal Pradesh Government has stepped up round-the-clock efforts to restore telecommunication services in the State after torrential rains on August 25 and 26 caused extensive damage to infrastructure, particularly in Chamba, Kullu, and Lahaul-Spiti districts. Mobile connectivity was severely disrupted in several parts of the State, with Chamba and Manali regions facing near-total outages since August 24. Even the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had to activate intra-circle roaming in Chamba till September 1 to facilitate communication.
Also read: Intra-Circle roaming activated in Chamba to keep phones working
According to official data, the scale of the disaster was unprecedented. In Chamba district alone, of the 1,761 telecom sites operated by Airtel, Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Vodafone Idea, as many as 1,155 (around 66 percent) were rendered non-functional by August 27. This massive breakdown posed serious challenges to emergency response and public communication.
Under the directives of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, power supply restoration was prioritized and telecom operators were mobilized to work on war footing. By September 2, around 65 percent of the damaged sites in Chamba, Kullu, and Lahaul-Spiti had been restored.
Principal Advisor (IT & Innovation) to the Chief Minister, Gokul Butail, said that Chamba district has witnessed significant improvement. As of September 2, only 374 sites remained non-functional, marking a 45 percent recovery. In Bharmour region, out of ten BSNL sites, five are now operational through microwave connectivity, with the rest expected to be restored soon. The optical fibre cable (OFC) repair work is expected to take about a week. Reliance Jio services in Bharmour are likely to resume by September 6, while Airtel’s 2G network has already been restored.
Sharing the status in other districts, Butail said that in Kullu, 84.9 percent of Airtel’s 877 sites were functional by September 2, while Reliance Jio had restored services at 65 percent of its 1,173 sites. BSNL services remained patchy, with only 20 percent of its 391 sites operating normally. In Lahaul-Spiti, restoration has been faster, with 96.8 percent of Airtel’s 63 sites and 84.1 percent of Reliance Jio’s 170 sites functional.
The government has assured that efforts will continue on mission mode until complete connectivity is restored in all affected regions.
About the Author
The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
