Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Sept 3: Tourists are having difficulty in communicating with their families and relatives due to the suspension of the cellular network and mobile internet services in Kashmir for the last two days.
Following the death of a senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani, on Wednesday, authorities shut down cellular networks and mobile internet services as a precautionary measure, making it difficult for tourists to contact their families.
“The signals unexpectedly ended as I was having a video conversation with my mom on Wednesday night. Since then, I have not been able to interact with any of my family. They must be worried about my well-being,” Jyoti, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh said adding, “I came here for a vacation, but I feel stuck.”
A group of tourists told Excelsior that they had been roaming for the last two days, unable to make a phone call home. “We are staying in a guest house that does not have a working landline or a functional internet connection,” a tourist said, adding that in this day and age, life without the internet is difficult.
Harpal Singh, a tourist from Punjab, believes that the Government should have built communication facilities for tourists before the blockade. “We understand why they are taking this action, but they must give facilities to the tourists,” he said, adding that they are having severe problems owing to a lack of internet connectivity.
Authorities have installed steel barriers and razor wire at several roads, bridges, and crossroads, as well as additional checkpoints in cities and villages throughout the Kashmir Valley, keeping people confined to their homes.
Many Kashmiris working or outside expressed their dissatisfaction with their inability to communicate with their relatives. “I am unable to contact my family in Kashmir. I hope the situation in that country is steady. All services have been halted,” Afaq Ahmad, posted on Facebook.
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