Telecommunication in Chennai faced significant challenges after the cyclone hit, leading to blackouts in some telephone exchanges. This disruption severely impacted internet services and mobile connectivity, affecting people working from home and hindering communication. Services of major telecom operators including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL were disrupted across Chennai.
What is puzzling is that the city was flooded over the past few years and also encountered massive cyclones. During all those times, cellphone towers and thus signals were functioning fairly normally. Then why did it happen this time? People were not able to reach out to their relatives/friends due to lack of signal. They were not even able to get in touch with emergency numbers.
There are approximately 36000-40000 cellphone towers in Chennai and surrounding areas such as Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, and Thiruvallur. It was observed that 70-80% of the towers were not functioning properly.
Why did this occur? Business Standard reported that the challenges primarily stemmed from difficulties in procuring and transporting diesel to tower sites, compounded by issues related to batteries. The state government had precautionarily cut off power when it rained, prompting reliance on backup diesel generator sets, which also subsequently depleted.
Maridhas in his YouTube video says that TANGEDCO could provide power to such towers to continue providing signal to consumers.
It is noteworthy that almost the whole of Chennai shifted to underground electrical cables in 2021 itself, except for a few parts. The cables are so sturdy that even when attacked by thunder and lightning, nothing will happen. The difference between the overhead and underground wires is that the underground ones are sturdy dry and also very expensive. This has been recommended by the United Nations themselves.
It is also notable that the World Bank has lent about 4300 crores to the Tamil Nadu government for disaster mitigation efforts. This agreement was signed in 2013.
These cables are underground to provide electricity for essential services like hospitals, communication devices, and the functioning of the government. So it becomes the basic duty of the TANGEDCO to provide power to the various service providers’ substations in times of disaster.
If such communication services are not provided by the service provider, they can even be arrested. In 2014, in Andhra Pradesh, the then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu called for the arrest of agencies in Vishakapatnam for failing to provide services during times of distress.
Maridhas in his YouTube video alleges the reason as to why the power supply to the substations was cut off. He alleges that the ruling DMK government is worried about the issue of the cyclone and subsequent flooding becoming viral on social media and that they conspired to make social media inaccessible to users. The press release states that the team was headed by 20 Ministers
Subsequently, on 9 December 2023, TN Chief Minister MK Stalin shared a 6-page press release on his social media handle. He stated that all the disaster relief teams were ready for rescue.
Questions to be asked to the DMK government
- How many people were a part of the rescue team?
- What was the emergency centre number that people could reach out to in case of emergency?
- Who were the ministers/MLAs/MPs involved in the team – since no one was visible on the ground?
When mobile signals were practically absent, how were people supposed to communicate and lodge their complaints? And what feedback will the rescue team get if they do not receive any complaints?
There have been many instances of people losing their lives, especially during this disaster.
People could not even get in touch with volunteers to help them. Had the communication lines been available, the government departments could have communicated to the people about the approximate time it could rain further, the amount of rainfall they could expect in the next 24 hours, and how people could take precautionary measures accordingly.
Thanks to the inundation, all electrical appliances, wood furniture, clothes, and everything else including vehicles were totally spoiled thanks to the water inside the homes.
(This article is based on inputs from the video of Maridhas)
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