Shillong: The 108 ambulance service in Meghalaya is witnessing a large number of call drops with the sudden shutdown of mobile operator Aircel's services.

"The emergency service has been impacted across all networks in the state. Data from the post-closure period (February 21 to March 15) shows calls from Aircel subscribers dropped by a staggering 81 per cent, mainly affecting rural Meghalaya," Paiabaskhem Mukhim, marketing and media relations officer, GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, which runs the 108 service, said on Tuesday.

He said calls had gone down from an average of 550-600 daily to 250-300. "This has occurred since February 21, and hence, it can be attributed to the shut down of Aircel."

Mukhim said migration to other networks has resulted in congestion and calls have either not been going through or dropped. "Due to good coverage, Aircel had the largest subscriber base and penetration in rural areas. The closure has impacted the 108 service too with calls dropping by 50 per cent and cases coming down by more than 30 per cent."