Login Register
Follow Us

Restoring prepaid phones, Net after 167 days a mockery, say residents

Show comments

Sumayyah Qureshi

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 19

The government’s decision to restore the voice service and SMS on prepaid mobile phones across all 10 districts of Kashmir and 2G Internet services on post-paid phones in two districts of Kupwara and Bandipora after 167 days on Saturday did not evoke much response here. Most of the people, however, said they had no information about the restoration of prepaid telephony. Locals said it did not matter as the government did not care about their fundamental rights.

As per a government order issued on Saturday, the prepaid mobile services were restored across J&K and 2G mobile data services have been restored on post-paid mobile phones in two districts of Kupwara and Bandipora. In these two districts, the government has allowed access to 153 whitelisted websites, which include email websites, exam result sites, banking sites, travel sites, education sites, entertainment sites and university sites. The social media sites and news websites are, however, not included in the list of websites which can be accessed.

The mobile Internet connectivity, however, remained suspended in Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts, said the order.

Most of the people seemed unmoved by today’s decision and called the 2G restoration in two districts and restoring voice calls and SMS on prepaid phones after 167 days a mockery.

An academic said it was frustrating not to have access to Internet. “It looks like the people are not a priority for the government.”

A journalist, Harris, who has been working in Delhi for the past five months, said it was a mockery to restore Internet in two districts. “I am waiting for the Internet blockade to end so that I can come and work in Kashmir. It is an age of multimedia and social media. Restoring 2G services on phones means nothing. It is a joke played by the government on people.”

Some residents, however, said the government decision hardly mattered and they had become habitual of blockade on Internet and mobile telephony. “We have already changed our prepaid phones into post-paid. What was the need to restore services on prepaid phones? The blockade of prepaid phones happens on and off so to be on the safer side, we use post-paid numbers,” said Irfan, a Srinagar resident.

A recharge service provider in Srinagar, Ayub, said they had no information about the restoration of prepaid phones.

Show comments
Show comments

Trending News

Also In This Section


Top News



Most Read In 24 Hours