New Delhi, April 16 -- Amid diesel supply constraints triggered by the ongoing West Asia war, the government's review of telecom operators and tower firms' complaints has laid bare a crucial gap: the sector's "critical infrastructure" tag is not ensuring priority fuel access on the ground. This threatens network continuity, especially in areas reliant on diesel-fuelled power backups, putting essential services-from hospitals to law enforcement-at risk of disruption.

Despite its formal classification under national critical frameworks, telecom infrastructure continues to face uneven state-level curbs on diesel sales and movement. With operators flagging rising outages and seeking urgent intervention, the issue underscores how last-mile im...