New Delhi, Dec. 27: The major telecom operators in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, which were hit by tsunamis, said their networks are functioning normally, though call drops and busy tones continued to irritate those calling from other parts of the country.

AirTel said their systems had been functioning normally even in the wake of the tsunami and the damage in the coastal areas of the country. The undersea cable, mobile and fixed-line networks of the company were also functioning normally, it said. The network claimed that there has been no damage to its telecom infrastructure.

?AirTel is also undertaking measures to ensure connectivity on its congestion-free network throughout the crisis. We have taken all precautionary measures to ensure that our networks continue to be operational and the company?s employees and partners are trying to do all that is possible to help the affected,? a company spokesperson said.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, the biggest operator in the three states, said network congestion was experienced for a few hours yesterday afternoon but the situation was normal by evening. The same congestion was witnessed early today.

?The network congestion was due to the heavy calling to the network in the affected states. This was temporary and communications systems are normal,? said a senior BSNL executive.

A Tata Indicomm spokesperson said the company?s telecom network has not been affected and its subscribers have not experienced any problem in making or receiving calls from the affected states.

Some service providers are also making special efforts to help those affected. An AirTel team and channel partners have set up crisis call stations in the affected areas in Tamil Nadu.

The call stations will enable people to contact friends and relatives and aid rescue operations and relief workers in affected areas.

People can make calls from these stations for three minutes without charge. The stations, which will use AirTel wireless infrastructure, have been set up close to affected areas near the seashore in Thiruvarur, Kairakkal, Kalpakkam, Cuddalore, Pondicherry and Kanyakumari.

AirTel is setting up more such stations and has constituted special teams to undertake these relief measures.