Communication gag: valley based online entrepreneurs lose client base, business
Businessmen say if clampdown continues, will be forced to close down Ops, move to leave many unemployed
5 Dariya News
Srinagar 09-Sep-2019
The ongoing communication clampdown is taking the toll on the valley based e-commerce business entrepreneurs right from the day one of its implementation throughout the valley. With no access to the internet services in the region, the valley based e-commerce operating portals are running from the pillar to post to survive. According to wire service – Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the major players of this business has estimated the losses worth crores on daily basis and that too after losing the huge customer base throughout India and overseas as well. The major impact of the ongoing clampdown of the internet services have taken a toll on the goodwill of these business portals which seems no end. The online business operations mainly depends on the internet services which remains barred in the region since 05 August, 2019 in the backdrop of the revocation of the Article 370 by the Parliament. The whole system of buying and selling is hampered because of the prevailing uncertainty and communication gag which resulted in a huge blow to this segment of business. Majid Mir, an online business entrepreneur told wire service — Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that, “The ongoing internet gag have badly affected my business with an expected loss of about 40K per day. As the gag enters in the second consecutive month due to that all our business operations are seized and I am supposed to pay my staff out of my pocket.”
He told KNO that the state administration should consider our plight before touching such sensitive issues as we are always pushed to the wall every year. By putting a continuous gag on the internet services the state government is not snatching only our livelihood but of those too, who are directly and indirectly associated with our business. Mir further told wire service — Kashmir News Observer (KNO), “The losses that we are facing right now due to the ongoing clampdown might be recovered in future, if the situation improves but what about the reputation which faded due to the imposed communication gag? I am sure of losing half of my customers base just because of being restricted from taking and delivering their orders.” Another online entrepreneur, Asif Malik told wire service — Kashmir News Observer (KNO), “ Firstly the Government encourages the youth to start their own business ventures apart from looking a berth in Government sector and then those entrepreneurs are left in lurch by imposing gags and restrictions on their needs and sources of their business ventures.” He told KNO that, he started this online business venture with a hope of earning a better livelihood after failing in his attempts to get a job in the Government sector. As this business was the only hope for his survival which is locked down since Aug 05. Malik further told wire service — Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that, “This year’s business cycle is gone as the prevailing situation was not expected by anyone apart from facing the financial stress we are heading towards the mental stress as well and unfortunately no one from the state administration gives a damn about our sufferings.”(KNO)