Srinagar: As the world observed internet day on Wednesday, Kashmir continues to remain deprived of the facility since August 5, when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and the erstwhile State was bifurcated into two Union Territories by the central government. The cry for immediate restoration of internet services across the region have become louder with cross section of society demanding that the internet be resumed sooner the better.
According to the wire service –Kashmir News Observer (KNO), both the broadband and mobile internet facilities are suspended across Kashmir from last nearly three months, leaving the people dependent on the facility to lurch at large.
The authorities had suspended the mobile facility across Kashmir too but the postpaid mobile services were restored on October 14, following the improvement in the situation.
The government had stated that the services remained snapped due to the continuous provocations from across the Line of Control (LoC), adding that these services will be restored soon after the situation improves.
However, 87 days elapsed; the internet facilities across Kashmir remained suspended.
The absence of the facilities has left many communities including student, trader, journalist and especially online businessmen to suffer.
“Every section of the society has been facing hardships due to the lack of services. The government should restore the services at an earliest so that the people here could heave a sigh of relief,” the internet users said.
The traders’ especially online entrepreneurs have suffered a huge loss due to the continuous suspension of the services while the student community especially those appearing in the ongoing examinations are not able to prepare for the examinations aptly in absence of internet facilities, Majid Ahmad, one of the entrepreneurs told KNO.
He said that the government although claim the normalcy in Kashmir, in case the situation has improved then why the authorities are depriving the people across the Valley of the facility.
Pertinently, the lawmakers from across the world as well as those affiliated with different political parties in India have been demanding restoration of the internet services in the Valley for a long. The UN lawmakers on Monday also demanded lifting of all curbs in the Valley at an earliest. (KNO)
