Assam Flood Relief: ICR Connectivity Boost for Stranded Residents

As flood waters continue to engulf large parts of Assam, the central government has introduced an Intra‑Circle Roaming (ICR) service to ensure uninterrupted mobile connectivity for residents of Charideo, Shivsgar and Jorhat districts. The emergency arrangement permits users to tap into any operational network within the same telecom circle, a critical step as many towers have been rendered inoperable.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will undertake an aerial reconnaissance mission to evaluate flood damage and guide rescue teams. The disaster has resulted in 21 deaths in the past 24 hours and affected roughly 560,000 people across 16 districts.

The state disaster authority reported that Shivsgar bears the brunt with 13 deaths, while Charideo recorded five, Golaghat two and Jorhat one. The Indian Army, responding to a state request, has initiated "Operation Jal Raksha‑3," rescuing 150 flood victims—73 men, 47 women and 30 children—through coordinated engineering and special rescue units.