Curbs in Kashmir eased, phone services restored

Srinagar: Restrictions on the movement of people in the Kashmir Valley were eased on Saturday, with landline, mobile and internet services restored in some areas of the city, even as stringent security arrangements continued to be in place, officials said.

The restrictions were eased on Saturday morning to facilitate the movement of government employees towards their offices, they said. The officials said the security forces continued to remain deployed, while barricades remained on the roads, but people were allowed to move after checking their credentials.

They said the restrictions have been relaxed in 35 police station areas of Kashmir, while 17 telephone exchanges, out of the total 96, have been made functional.

More than 50,000 landline phones were operational now, the officials said, adding that the services will be restored in other areas in a "calibrated manner".

There was increase in movement of private vehicles in the civil lines area and other district headquarters of the Valley, the officials said, adding that some inter-district cabs were also seen plying in Dalgate area of the summer capital.

Some shops in the civil lines areas of the city opened on Saturday morning, the officials said. However, most of the business establishments, including fuel stations, remained shut.

Low-speed (2G) mobile internet services have been restored in five districts of Jammu region after remaining suspended for a fortnight, officials said on Saturday.

The 2G mobile internet services have been restored in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi districts around midnight following an order by Inspector General of Police, Jammu zone, they said.

The officials said the high-speed (3G and 4G) mobile internet services will be restored after a fresh assessment of the situation. However, the services continued to remain suspended in Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts, the officials said.

The mobile internet services were snapped across Jammu region on August 4, a day before the Centre abrogated provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Curfew-like restrictions were in place across the state hours before the move but were subsequently eased, with normal activities in Jammu, Kathua, Sabma, Udhampur and Reasi resuming on August 10 after the concerned district magistrates announced lifting of prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC.