Even as at least 40 lakh postpaid phones started ringing across Kashmir on Monday afternoon, normal life remains to be affected on the 71st straight day with cry for restoration of internet and pre-paid mobile phone services getting louder.According to wire-service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), life remained paralyzed across the valley tenth consecutive day with all business establishment’s shut, schools closed, public transport off the roads even as ring tones on various mobiles could be heard almost on every street of Srinagar and elsewhere.The revocation of the Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir through a Presidential order had triggered spontaneous shutdown in the Kashmir region and to date normal life continues to remain badly affected. However, some private vehicles were seen plying on the different routes in the city amid thin deployment of paramilitary forces and barricades were also placed at various places of downtown area.Officials revealed to KNO that there were no curbs and restrictions in place anywhere in valley. Meanwhile, the announcement of restoring the postpaid mobile services in valley by the state administration brought a sigh of relief among the people of the region.
The people of Kashmir continue to witness the ongoing communication gag excluding postpaid and landline telephony and mobile internet services, broadband internet services including the lease line and VSAT as well causing great inconveniences to the people of all walks of the valley. The valley based schools also remain closed due to absence of public transport which compelled most of the students to stay away from their schools despite the concerned authorities announced the reopening of educational institutions including the colleges and universities.It’s pertinent to mention that most of the top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders, including two former chief Ministers – Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been either detained or placed under house arrest.Another former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Dr. Farooq Abdullah has been arrested under the controversial Public Safety Act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was the chief minister. (KNO)