Parliament Question: Telecommunication infrastructure in Raigad and Konkan regions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4338 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02ND APRIL, 2026 TELECOMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN RAIGAD AND KONKAN REGIONS 4338 # SHRI DHAIRYASHIL MOHAN PATIL: Will the Minister of Communications be pleased to state: (a) whether telecom towers and optical fiber networks installed in high rainfall districts of Raigad and the Konkan region have been designed and certified to withstand extreme monsoon conditions, landslides and cyclonic winds; (b) the district-wise annual data of damage to telecom towers and fiber infrastructure in the Konkan region during the last five years; (c) whether any dedicated disaster recovery or infrastructure resilience fund is available for restoration of services in such vulnerable coastal areas; and (d) the comparative arrangement of safety measures adopted for underground fiber and overhead cables in landslide-prone areas? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a)& (b) Towers and OFC networks in high-rainfall districts of Raigad and the Konkan region are deployed by the TSPs as per prescribed standards and are resilient to extreme monsoon conditions including heavy rainfall, cyclonic winds and landslide-prone terrain. The infrastructure has remained reliable with no tower damage reported in the last five years. (c) There is no dedicated disaster recovery or infrastructure resilience fund maintained by DoT. However, TSPs maintain robust monitoring, maintenance and disaster recovery mechanisms to ensure continuity and swift restoration of services. (d) As per SOP-2020 issued by Department of Telecommunications for telecommunication services during disasters, communication cables are buried underground in ducts to reduce their vulnerability. Further, TSPs ensure that transmission links are redundant through two distinct geographical paths. Underground OFC is generally preferred for enhanced protection while overhead infrastructure is reinforced with appropriate safeguards, periodic inspections and quick restoration to ensure reliability. *** 1