Network connectivity in state improves as 65% sites restored

Even as incessant rains continue to cripple life across Himachal Pradesh, the state government has placed top priority on restoring telecommunication services that were badly hit during the recent spell of torrential rain. According to officials, nearly 65 per cent of damaged sites have already been restored in the worst-affected districts of Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti.

The scale of the disruption was massive. As per the network outage report, out of 1,761 telecom sites in Chamba operated by Airtel, Reliance Jio, BSNL and Vodafone Idea, 1,155 (around 66 per cent) were non-functional on August 27, 2025, when the rains peaked. This widespread breakdown severely hampered communication, creating major hurdles for emergency response and rescue operations. However, by September 2, only 374 sites remained out of service, reflecting a 45 per cent improvement in the district’s connectivity.

In Kullu district, out of 877 Airtel sites, nearly 85 per cent are now functional. Reliance Jio has managed to restore 65 per cent of its 1,173 sites, while BSNL has been slower, with only 20 per cent of its 391 sites back in operation. In Lahaul-Spiti, Airtel’s recovery has been almost complete, with 96.8 per cent of its 63 sites operational, while Reliance Jio has restored 84.1 per cent of its 170 sites.

Principal Adviser (Information Technology and Innovation) to the Chief Minister, Gokul Butail, said the government was making every effort to restore telecom services swiftly. “As many as 65 per cent of damaged sites have been restored in Chamba, Kullu, and Lahaul-Spiti as of September 2,” he confirmed.

The Bharmour region of Chamba has also seen partial progress. Out of ten BSNL sites, connectivity has been restored at five through microwave systems, while the rest are expected to be restored soon. Optical fibre repair work in the area may take a week. Reliance Jio’s services in Bharmour are expected to resume by September 6, whereas Airtel has already restored its 2G network.

Butail added that despite the heavy rains, the government is working “vigorously” to restore vital telecommunication infrastructure, which has suffered extensive damage, causing widespread inconvenience to the public.