New Delhi, June 2 (IANS): In order to ensure uninterrupted telecom connectivity in Maharashtra, Mumbai and Gujarat in the wake of Cyclone Nisarga, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday held a meeting with all telecom services and infrastructure providers on their preparedness.

These included Tower & Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

T.R. Dua, Director-General of TAIPA, said: "All our IP (infrastructure provider) members have taken necessary steps to ensure connectivity 24/7 in the areas which are likely to be affected by the cyclone and all the backup arrangements like additional DG sets, battery banks, spare parts, stocking of diesel are taken care of."

He also said that infra providers have also deployed additional rescue teams which are kept on standby mode for all major districts like to get impacted during Cyclone Nisarga.

Tropical storm Nisarga, which is headed towards the coasts in Maharashtra, Mumbai and Gujarat, is likely to intensify into a cyclone in the next 12 hours and is expected to make a landfall close to Mumbai on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

A statement from TAIPA said that a storm surge, as high as two metres above the astronomical tide, will inundate the low-lying coastal areas of Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts during the landfall.

It is expected that the storm may cause major damage to thatched houses, huts, power and communication lines and coastal crops.

Dua said that infra providers and telcos have requested the Chief Secretaries and DoT for unrestricted movement of men and material for inter-state movement, arrangements for issuance of e-passes and availability of diesel supply.

In the meeting, the need for Gujarat to notify a tower policy in line with Right of Way (RoW) rules was also stressed upon to ensure seamless network connectivity and help the rollout of essential critical telecom infrastructure across the state, said the statement.