“Haven’t felt this disconnected since 2014, 2019”: Omar Abdullah on J&K communication outage

Jammu and Kashmir experienced widespread disruption of mobile, broadband, and landline services on Wednesday as heavy rainfall damaged optical fibre networks at multiple locations. Residents across the Union Territory faced severe communication difficulties, with mobile data functioning minimally, WiFi and fixed-line services offline, and apps such as WhatsApp and X struggling to operate. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted, “Still struggling with almost nonexistent communication. There is a trickle of data flowing on Jio mobile, but no fixed line WiFi, no browsing, almost no apps, things like X open frustratingly slowly, and WhatsApp struggles with anything more than short text messages. Haven’t felt this disconnected since the terrible days of 2014 & 2019.”

The Ministry of Communications issued a directive for all telecom operators to activate Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) in Jammu and Kashmir until September 2, 2025. This allows subscribers to connect to networks other than their own, aiming to mitigate the impact of the ongoing network failure caused by landslides and heavy rains. Both private telecom companies and the state-run BSNL were affected, leaving large parts of the UT without reliable connectivity.

Heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides, including one near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, which claimed at least 31 lives and left several people missing. The landslide occurred near the Adhkwari cave temple, an important point on the pilgrimage route. Authorities have advised residents to avoid water bodies, landslide-prone stretches, and areas affected by flooding while rescue and relief operations continue.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported severe convection over Jammu, RS Pura, Samba, Akhnoor, Nagrota, Kot Bhalwal, Bishnah, Vijaypur, Purmandal, and parts of Kathua and Udhampur. Forecasts warned of continuing heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hail. Kathua recorded the highest rainfall of 155.6 mm in 24 hours, followed by Bhaderwah (99.8 mm), Jammu (81.5 mm), and Katra (68.8 mm), intensifying the risk of further disruption and landslides.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation. He added that efforts were underway to restore connectivity, but bad weather grounded flights, preventing him and officials from reaching Jammu. “Efforts are being made to restore phone/data connectivity as soon as possible. The closure of Jammu airport stopped me & my colleagues from reaching Jammu this evening. I hope to be able to get there on the first flight tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m closely monitoring the situation & in touch with the teams on the ground in the division,” Abdullah stated.