While about 1200 telephone lines -- of the series 41, 42 and 43 -- went phut on Saturday afternoon, telecom department authorities claimed on Monday that more than half of the lines had been restored and the rest would be restored in the next 24 hours.

Even as the telephone department was flooded with inquiries from subscribers -- with hundreds of lines getting disconnected since Saturday -- incessant rainfall through Sunday night and on Monday further hampered the restoration work taken up by the department.

Deputy General Manager L V Yadav, while speaking to Express Newsline, stated that the fault would be rectified by Monday night and added that 600 joints had already been restored and the rest would be restored soon.

It may be noted that disruption in telephone services had become a regular feature during the monsoon last year and despite claims by the department that precautions were being taken, disruptions continue this monsoon as well.