As the Valley continues to witness cellular as well as the internet gag since August 05, 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s division into two Union Territories, the valley based journalists are facing immense hardships in performing their professional duties and the data is transferred through pen drives only.The situation has reached to the point when the journalists are solely dependent on pen drives to get the material or to submit stories at their respective offices. A reporter after compiling his story usually faces difficulties to submit his or her report in local dailies here due to the continuous internet gag and communication gag. In such a situation, pen drives are the only option for the media persons to submit their reports for publishing.Mubashir Ahmad, who works with one of the daily locals here told Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that it has become hectic job for the journalists as well as the media houses to work in such an atmosphere where there is no internet as well as the cellular facility.“Our office has now tasked the employees to visit media facilitation on shift basis to get the material. Working in such an atmosphere and that too in 21st century has left the journalists to lurch at large,” he told KNO.
Another journalist, Nasir Ahmad said that pen drives in the prevalent situation are the only option for journalists to continue their professional duties. “Present situation recalls the previous era when internet was a dream and hard drives were the only options for journalists to submit their reports,” he said.Ahmad told Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the government though established a media facilitation centre for the journalists but it won’t have any impact on the journalists who have to file their reports in daily locals. “This centre has though helped the journalists working for national and international newspapers and portals but provided no sigh of relief to the local journalist who has to file his report and submit it through pen drives only,” he added. The journalists working in local dallies and news portals here have appealed the government to restore the internet facilities so that they could heave a sigh of relief. (KNO).