New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting on the restoration of mobile connectivity in flood-affected regions of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.

Scindia directed urgent, war-footing action to restore services in all the affected areas, particularly in the Doda and Udhampur districts of Jammu, which remain the most severely impacted.

Progressive restrictions in inter-district and valley connectivity are also being closely monitored to ensure services return to normal at the earliest.

The minister was briefed that most fibre cuts have already been restored, with teams on the ground quickly rectifying the damaged fibre, creating loops and bringing services back online.

Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) was implemented in affected areas by DoT, allowing consumers to latch onto other networks where their primary network was disrupted.

Scindia emphasised that every possible step must be taken to enable citizens to keep connected with their families and essential services.

He expressed confidence that with swift action by telecom teams and coordinated support from state authorities, full restoration of services will be achieved soon.

Secretary (Telecom) Dr Neeraj Mittal, senior officials from the Ministry of Communications, BSNL and other telecom operators were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army on Thursday announced the launch of extensive humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations involving 12 helicopters to evacuate and provide medical aid and food to people stranded in food-deprived areas, as per requisitions from the civil administration in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab.

A total of 1,211 civilians were evacuated to safety so far, which also included 11 Punjab government officials stranded at the Madhopur Barrage and 180 PMF personnel.

A total of 28 Army columns, including medical teams and communication resources, have been activated to reinforce the relief effort. These columns are providing immediate ground support, evacuation assistance, restoration of connectivity and medical aid to displaced families, the Indian Army said in a statement.

–IANS

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