Most mobile towers in Uttarakhand restored: Indus Towers

Indus Towers Friday said most of its mobile towers in rain-ravaged districts of Uttarakhand have been restored, and over 100 personnel are working round the clock to supply diesel at the sites to keep them running.

"Out of the total 668 towers sites in the affected areas of Uttarakhand, 400 sites were in Dehradun, Tehri, Joshimath, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Rishikesh. Out of which Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag are the worst affected districts. Most of the sites have already been restored," Indus Towers COO Bimal Dayal said in a statement.

Over 100 personnel of Indus Towers have been working round the clock by splitting into small teams and supplying diesel at various affected sites by using helicopters and restoring mobile connectivity, the statement said.

"Nearly twice the running cost per tower has been incurred to ensure up time of towers under the severe rain conditions," the company said.

Torrential rains and flash floods in various parts of Uttarakhand have severely impacted mobile infrastructure in the state.

"The major challenge at hand was not only to maintain and run the towers, but also to ensure that there is no power disruption to tower sites it was critical for us to provide uninterrupted service," Indus Towers CEO BS Shantharaju said.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Friday said over 200 people have lost their lives, while 50,000 people were still stranded in different inaccessible parts of Uttarakhand, hit by flash floods and landslides.