Srinagar, Aug 29 (KNO): A massive disruption in telecom services gripped Kashmir earlier this week after heavy rains and floods damaged multiple optical fiber routes, cutting off BSNL, Airtel, Jio and other networks for several hours.
Officials shared that BSNL reported more than 30 fiber cuts on its main routes, while Airtel’s supply line from Jammu faced over 25 breaks. Jio too suffered a total blackout of both mobile and broadband services, leaving subscribers in complete isolation at the peak of the crisis.
Arvind Pandey, Principal General Manager, BSNL Kashmir, told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the collapse struck shortly after 2 pm on August 26. “At first, we assumed it was just a minor snag. But once Airtel, Jio and others went down, Kashmir was completely cut off from the rest of the world,” Pandey said, adding that BSNL teams swung into action immediately.
“Within 4–6 hours, we restored BSNL-to-BSNL calls across Kashmir and Ladakh. Initially, our experts could not reach the damaged sites, but once allowed on the morning of August 27, we discovered more than 30 fiber cuts. Our staff worked tirelessly, 24×7 and within two days, full connectivity was restored,” he added.
Pandey further explained that BSNL, being a government-run service provider, prioritized restoring postpaid connections first and later extended services to prepaid users before achieving complete restoration.
He added as most officials in the Valley use BSNL SIMs, so they were in touch with them, and “I also received calls from senior government officers once services began functioning.”
Panday also requested that, as restoration work is carried out, the agencies involved should take care of all telecommunication cables—not just BSNL’s, and avoid placing them underground or handling them in the early stages, as this could lead to potential breakages.
Meanwhile, a senior Airtel official acknowledged the recognition given by the Divisional Commissioner, saying: “Despite floods and landslides along the HP–Manali, Jammu–Udhampur, Jammu–Akhnoor and Jammu–Kishtwar routes, our teams worked round the clock to restore connectivity.”
“The underground cables were badly damaged by cloudbursts and landslides. This applause truly belongs to the field teams who did a commendable job,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said Airtel too reported 25 fiber cuts and all of them have been restored.
Reliance Jio also faced disruption, with thousands of users reporting complete outages of mobile and broadband services.
To ease the crisis, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) soon jumped inn and issued emergency orders directing all operators—BSNL, Airtel, Jio, and Vi—to activate “Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR),” enabling subscribers to connect to any available network.
“This facility will remain operational until September 2.”
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg also, lauded the efforts of the operators, saying: compliments to BSNL and Airtel teams for swift restoration of telecom and internet services across Kashmir following disruption due to recent heavy rains.
The Div Com Anshul Garg also said, restoration of these critical services on war-footing basis played a vital role in ensuring real-time dissemination of information and data, maintaining seamless communication across the Valley and easing the concerns of the general public—(KNO)