Idukki: A mobile telecommunication system set up in the aftermath of the Pettimudi landslide to ensure uninterrupted communication during natural disasters has been lying idle for nearly five years in Devikulam, Munnar, overrun by vegetation. The Idukki Additional District Magistrate, Shaiju P Jacob, has now sought a report from BSNL officials on the status of the abandoned unit.

According to the ADM, the BSNL had installed the mobile communication unit during the Pettimudi disaster, which was later shifted to Devikulam. “Until now, we had not received any complaint or report that it was lying unused. Now that the issue has come up, we have sought a detailed report,” he said.

The mobile tower, mounted on a truck and equipped with a generator, was purchased five years ago at a cost of several lakhs of rupees. The unit, now lying idle near the Edamalakkudy camp office, was procured a month after the Pettimudi disaster to prevent communication failures during emergencies, but has not been used even once. Residents have blamed the panchayat and disaster management authorities for the negligence, pointing out that no alternative emergency communication system exists in the disaster-prone region.