Power cuts leave Kottayam's Devagiri BSNL tower offline multiple times a day

Devagiri: The BSNL tower at Devagiri junction stops functioning whenever there is a power cut. Shop owners in the area say they lose their mobile phone signal at least five or six times a day during outages. The tower’s battery backup fails as soon as the power goes off.

Authorities replace the battery only after shop owners and local residents protest or file complaints. However, the “new” battery often dies within a week. Consumers allege that this happens because old batteries are being reinstalled on the tower.

The lack of internet connectivity or mobile phone signals frequently causes problems for the public. Moreover, power cuts have become routine here, especially whenever it rains.