18000 Crore Rupees, Nearly 5 Lakh Jobs Lost As Kashmir Reels Under Internet Suspension citizenmatters.in

The continued internet blockade in Kashmir region since August 3rd following the revocation of Article 370, has not only deprived the people of Srinagar and the rest of the valley of an essential means to connect with each other, it has also taken an unprecedented toll on business, education, tourism, health and entertainment. In essence, the internet blackout in Kashmir has not only led to job losses but also loss of confidence in doing business in the valley.

Interestingly, a day after a communication blockade was imposed on Kashmir, Jio-fibre, a fibre cable internet service launched by the Reliance group, began operations in Jammu in a bid to introduce high speed internet services. Though mobile internet remains suspended in Jammu too, the situation there is not as desperate as in the valley, with high speed internet available on broadband (Jio-fibre) .

The Jammu and Kashmir government has selectively restored internet services in some government offices including Srinagar Municipal Corporation and other essential services that include Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) Soura, the major tertiary care hospital in Srinagar. SMC Commissioner Khurshid Sanaie said, SMC works have not been affected due to the internet suspension. “In the absence of internet, we formed human chains of employees to ensure essential services don’t get affected,” said Sanaie. “In October, we requested the administration for internet restoration, and services were restored in the last week of October”.