The ECONOMIC TIMES / media news
PTI Jun 25, 2013, 10.16PM IST
272 mobile towers, 44 telephone exchanges in Uttarakhand
Were restored,
CMD RK Upadhyay today
said.
The company, however, could not restore telecom
infrastructure at three locations - Dharchula, Narayan Bazar and Kedarnath
where all equipments of the company were washed away in the devastating floods,
he added.
The BSNL chief said technology makes it possible for
authorities to find out the exact number of people in the affected areas based
on their mobile phone usage. "It is technically possible to know how many
customers were there (during the calamity) in that area at a particular time.
That can be done," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director RK Upadhyay said
here.
When asked if BSNL tried to find out the number of its
customers who could have been hit by floods, the BSNL CMD said: "This is
for government to consider. As a licencing authority, the government can task
any operator to do that. Technical systems of each operator is independent and
BSNL can find out about it customers."
The death toll has crossed over 800 due to unprecedented
flash floods in Uttarakhand and initially over 70,000 pilgrims were estimated
to be stranded in affected area. As on date 8,000 people are still estimated to
be stranded in flood area.
Upadhyay that over 1,250 people used BSNL's mobile tracking
service, accessible though helpline number 1503 and 09412024365, to know last
location of their friends and relatives using BSNL mobile connection in
flood-hit areas. "We have responded to 949 queries till first half
today," he said.
