DoT meets telcos to check preparedness as cyclone Nisarga approaches

The Department of Telecommunications on Tuesday held a meeting to review the preparedness of mobile service providers for cyclone Nisarga that is expected to make a landfall in Maharashtra and Gujarat on June 3.

The tropical storm Nisarga is headed towards the coasts in Maharashtra and Gujarat, is likely to intensify into a cyclone in the next 12 hours and is expected to make a landfall close to Mumbai tomorrow (Wednesday).

As per reports, this would be the first cyclonic storm to impact India's financial capital, which has logged over 41,000 coronavirus cases so far, since 1882.

In order to ensure telecom connectivity in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the DOT held a meeting with the telecom industry.

“All our members have taken necessary steps to ensure connectivity 24/7 in the areas which are likely to be affected by the cyclone and all the background arrangements like additional Diesel Generator sets, battery banks, spare parts, stocking of diesel are taken care off,” T R Dua, Director-General, Tower & Infrastructure Providers Association said.

A storm surge - as high as two metres above the astronomical tide - will inundate the low-lying coastal areas of Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts during the landfall. It is expected that the storm may cause major damage to thatched houses, huts, power and communication lines and coastal crops.

“We have requested the Chief Secretaries and DoT for unrestricted movement for man and material for inter-state movement, arrangement of issuing E-passes and availability of diesel supply,” Dua further added.

Nisarga would be the second storm to hit the Indian coastline in less than a fortnight. On May 20 super cyclone Amphan landed in West Bengal leaving 80 dead and the aftermath of the tragedy lingered for days as some residents of the states were left without electricity and telephone for days.

In the DOT meeting, the issue of Gujarat state needs to notify a tower policy that is aligned with Right of Way (RoW) rules was also stressed upon to ensure seamless network connectivity and hindering the rollout of essential critical telecom infrastructure across the state.