Kerala rains, floods 2018: To bring some relief to the people stranded in the Kerala floods, Airtel has come forward to provide some assistance by announcing some measures. The private telco has said that will make sure that its customers stay connected to “their loved ones” in the adverse circumstances that nature has inflicted upon the state and adjoining areas. Airtel will offer free data, extended deadline for bill payments, and more to people in Kerala.
Among the respite offered by Airtel to contribute to the cause, the company will give away 1GB data without any charges to all the prepaid smartphone customers. The data will come with a validity of 7 days from the date of activation. In addition, Airtel will let the prepaid customers activate a pre-approved talk-time loan of Rs 30. The amount will be added against the primary account of the prepaid customer. However, it is not clear whether the pre-approved loan accompanies the interest, as is the case with the regular talk-time loans.
Moreover, the Airtel customers who have a postpaid, broadband, or DTH connection will get extended deadlines for the bill payment to make sure the services remain uninterrupted. However, the exact number of days added to the customers’ account for bill payments is not clear. Airtel will also set up VSAT at five relief centres in the state to allow people to enjoy free and uninterrupted Wi-Fi and calling facilities.
Airtel is also opening up its official stores in Kerala to let people charge their mobile phones and make free calls to anyone. The stores are located in Thrissur, Calicut, Malappuram, Kannur, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Ernakulam cities. This service is available to anyone, regardless of their Airtel connections.
Kerala is seeing one of the catastrophic flood-like situations that have perished cities, towns, and villages, leaving people stranded in the middle of nowhere. The roads are inundated making it harder for people to reach safe spots in the state. The transportation has come to a halt while the state government and NDRF are making sure the affected people are receiving food and water supplies. So far around 25 people have been declared dead in the state who succumbed to nature’s fury.
