Hyderabad: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) working round the clock to monitor climate is unable to share its forecasts with the outside world. That is because the IMD telephone lines are dead for the past 10 days and they are inaccessible to the public and media.
Two of its three telephone lines are dead since many days. The only working line is connected to the fax machine and is engaged most of the time. The service provider, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), is said to be unresponsive, though the IMD officials lodged complaints many times.
An official at the IMD said, "We have lodged the complaint but there was no response from the BSNL. With only one working line, that too connected to the fax machine, we are facing a tough time. The line is engaged most of the time. We are unable to provide information to everyone who is calling us."
"Now there is a yellow alert of a cold wave, and if this information is circulated well, the elderly can take extra care. The authorities should try to fix such problems sooner for departments like ours, who provide weather alerts, especially, cold wave warnings, thunderstorms, heavy rains, hailstorms, foggy conditions etc," he added.
The IMD, with 15 employees at Begumpet and 17 at Shamshabad centre, issues information on weather conditions and forecasts, especially during hazardous conditions. Their alerts are life savers for authorities and the public to avert untoward incidents in rough weather. For the civil aviation department, the IMD provides reports, based on which flights are scheduled. Government agencies and media representatives gather information on climate from the IMD. However, ever since the phone lines are dead, there is little communication.
There was no response when the BSNL was contacted.
