Fire breaks out at BSNL office in Prayagraj; services disrupted

A fire broke out in the transformer installed in the transmission building of BSNL’s office on Nawab Yusuf Road at around 5:30 am on Tuesday. The fire, which started in the morning, gradually grew in intensity. Since it was early, no employees were present, and office guards and locals informed the fire brigade about the incident.
Four fire tenders reached the spot and brought the fire under control, according to fire department officials. However, by then, the main media line transmission cable of the office was completely burnt. The fire also spread and engulfed the store located next to the transformer. Some equipment, including cables and boxes stored there, was also damaged, officials reported.
The damage to the transmission cable caused disruptions in the mobile network across Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Banda and Chitrakoot districts, affecting mobile services. In addition, BSNL’s broadband line also stopped functioning.
The mobile network, which had been down since 5 am, was restored only after 10 hours, by 4 pm.
According to officials, broadband service is expected to be restored by late Tuesday night. Some officials reported that nearly 9 lakh mobile phones and 1,450 mobile towers in Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Banda and Chitrakoot were affected by the incident.
BSNL’s Public Relations Officer Ashish Gupta said that the cause of the fire is not yet known, and that their priority is to restore the network and services. After that, the damage caused by the fire will be assessed, he added.
Due to the disruption of BSNL’s service, the operations of various government offices and institutions, including Allahabad high court, Allahabad university, post offices, courts, banks and the district collectorate, were also affected.