The Department of Telecommunications has activated Intra-Circle Roaming in select districts of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland to ensure uninterrupted mobile connectivity amid severe disruption caused by heavy rainfall, cloudburst and landslides.
The measure covers Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu & Kashmir, Sibsagar, Charaideo and Jorhat districts in Assam, and Mon district in Nagaland. Under the arrangement, mobile subscribers of any telecom service provider will be able to automatically access another available network in areas where their home network is temporarily unavailable. The facility will also be available to visitors from other parts of the country.
Intra-Circle Roaming allows a mobile subscriber to connect to another operator’s network within the same telecom circle when their own network faces coverage issues, a provision that proves particularly useful during natural disasters when infrastructure is damaged. For example, if Jio network is not available at a place but Airtel is available, phones of Jio subscribers will automatically connect to the available Airtel network in the specified districts.
Users have been advised to keep automatic network selection enabled on their phones. In case automatic connection fails, they can manually select another available network through their phone settings.
The Department of Telecommunications said the step is aimed at improving communication for affected residents, disaster response teams, healthcare personnel and government agencies engaged in relief and rescue operations. Officials are closely monitoring the situation through field units and coordinating with telecom service providers for the earliest possible restoration of regular services.
DoT enables the Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) during times of natural calamities and other such situations when mobile networks may become unavailable for various reasons.
In Jammu and Kashmir’s border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, torrential overnight rains beginning around 19 July triggered devastating flash floods and multiple landslides. Overflowing rivers and streams inundated low-lying areas, washed away scores of vehicles at bus stands and damaged homes and roads, while a major landslide in Surankote buried houses under debris. The initial death toll in the twin districts stood at over a dozen, with several people reported missing, and subsequent incidents, including further landslides, pushed the broader regional casualties higher as rescue teams struggled against continuing rain and blocked access routes.
Upper Assam has witnessed one of the most severe flood spells in recent years, with Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat emerging as the worst-affected districts. Continuous heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers submerged hundreds of villages, flooded roads and homes, and claimed dozens of lives, including 21 fatalities recorded in a single day across the region. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, with the Indian Army, NDRF and SDRF conducting large-scale rescue operations using boats, helicopters and drones, while relief camps provide shelter and essential supplies under the supervision of the state government.
In Nagaland’s Mon district, incessant monsoon rains triggered multiple landslides that destroyed homes and disrupted connectivity, resulting in at least nine deaths and several injuries. The state administration has released immediate financial assistance for the affected families as search and recovery efforts continue amid challenging terrain and weather conditions.
