The start of the new week dawned on Kashmir with scenes of relief, cheer and also worry as mobile phone services were partially restored.
Agencies
Srinagar, October 15:
The Kashmir student and his girlfriend were in tears when they heard each other’s voice over the phone Monday, the first time in 70 days since Article 370 was struck down amid a strict communication lockdown. When postpaid mobile connectivity, including SMSes, was restored in the Valley at noon, hers was the first number he’d dialled.
“We have socially conservative families, so I knew her landline number but couldn’t risk calling. Today, when the phones started, we talked for a minute,” the student said.
“She had to hang up immediately but we will be talking later in the evening,” he added. “After the call, she messaged me and asked, ‘how did we survive this?’. I responded that love is more powerful than the blackout.”
The return of mobile connectivity, however, wasn’t as profound for Srinagar resident Shaheen Shah, who took it with a pinch of salt.
“Now my family can keep a tab on me,” Shah said. “This is the only downside of the restoration.”
The start of the new week dawned on Kashmir with similar scenes all around as residents switched on their phones after two months, as the Jammu & Kashmir administration restored calling and SMS services on nearly 40 lakh postpaid mobile connections in the Valley.
Long queues were observed outside the offices of mobile phone companies, as customers streamed in to pay bills they had left unpaid during the lockdown. The internet is yet to be restored so they couldn’t make the payment online.
“All postpaid mobile phones, irrespective of their telecom service providers, have been made functional. This covers all 10 districts of Kashmir province,” a senior government official said.
As of Monday, there was no word on the restoration of internet services in Kashmir.
In Jammu and Ladakh, only broadband internet service has been restored by the state administration. Mobile phone services were restored in the region in a phased manner between August-end and the beginning of September.
