Srinagar For over 15 days, mobile internet remains suspended for hours in parts of Srinagar, disrupting work and business. Locals say Old City Srinagar is the worst-hit and the crisis started after 11 civilian killings by suspected militants in October in Srinagar and south Kashmir districts. Even the speed of broadband internet has been slowed, residents claim.
“It is as if the authorities are rationing the mobile internet like distributing government rice. For two weeks now, there is no mobile internet from 7am to 10:30pm every day,” said Sajid Ahmad, 38, a resident of Rainawari. “I also have fibre connection whose speed has reduced drastically. When we played Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match, internet was restored even later than midnight,” he said.
Ahmad said that he works from home for a private company which is established outside the valley and his work was suffering. “My mail hardly loads and I am forced to do my official work through Whatsapp at odd hours. It is so embarrassing and also affects one’s appraisal,” he said, adding college students are also suffering, with some even shifting to areas where the mobile internet is normal.
Besides Rainawari, areas in the heart of the Old City like Nawhatta complain of no service during the day. A shopkeeper of Nawhatta, who provides online recharge and billing services, said that his business was suffering due to the internet ban.
{{/usCountry}}Besides Rainawari, areas in the heart of the Old City like Nawhatta complain of no service during the day. A shopkeeper of Nawhatta, who provides online recharge and billing services, said that his business was suffering due to the internet ban.
{{/usCountry}}“The internet gets snapped from 7am to 11:30am and then again from 3:30pm to 10:45pm every day. We don’t know how they do it but it affects not only us but even students who are not able to attend online classes. My business is down 70%,” said the shopkeeper, not willing to be named.
A field employee of the power department said he was suffering for want of mobile internet in a large area of old city stretching from Makhdoom Sahib to Khanyar and Bohri Kadal, and extending to Eidgah belt. “No internet causes a lot of communication issues, while routine shutting down and resumption of power grids and stations,” he said. Rafiq Ahmad, a resident of Khushal Sar, also complained of the unreliable internet.
Srinagar deputy commissioner Mohammad Aijaz Asad said, “You should speak to telecom companies or security people. Nobody has brought it to my attention so far.”
Kashmir divisional commissioner Pandurang K Pole said he was not in headquarters. IGP Vijay Kumar did not respond to a call from HT. The IGP, however, acknowledged the suspension of internet of ‘some towers’ in a tweet on October 21. His tweet read, “Seizing some bikes and shutting down of internet of some towers is purely related to terror violences. It has nothing to do with the visit of the honourable HM (home minister),” he had said. The Union home minister had visited on October 23.