SRINAGAR – As the gag on all means of communication, including mobile and internet services, entered ninth week, people in Kashmir valley have fail to avail benefits from the annual festive season sales of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart.
Amazon’s ‘Great Indian Festival’ sale kicked from midnight on September 29 and will end at midnight on October 4 while Walmart-owned Flipkart’s ‘Big Billion Days’ sale will also run during the same time as its rival Amazon.
Mobile and internet service of all Cellular companies, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), remained suspended in the valley since August 5, when Article 370 and Article 35 A were scrapped and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories.
Expressing disappointment over the communication gag, the people in the valley said that it is ironic that they were not able to avail the offers given by the e-commerce sites due to the internet blockade. “The centre on one hand says that they want to bring the people of J&K into mainstream and on the other hand has cut all the means of communication. I have availed the offers given by Amazon and Flipkart in the past and bought many things in discounted rates, but this time we can’t avail the offers,” Shabir Ahmad, a resident of Tangpora in Srinagar told UNI.
Meanwhile, some people said that they got goods from their e-commerce sites booked outside the valley though were disappointed later after coming to know that courier services don’t deliver goods to Kashmir. “I asked my friend to book a TV from Amazon, but he informed me later that the goods could not be delivered in the valley because of suspension of courier service,” Irfan Saleem, a resident of Rainawari, told UNI.
Similar, views were expressed by people from different parts of the valley.
The gag on mobile phones and internet has also badly affected professionals, whose work was dependent on internet. Scores of such professionals, who work for different multi-national companies, have shifted to other parts of the country, fearing losing their jobs.
The communication network was suspended across Kashmir valley, including Srinagar, on August 5 as a precautionary measure to prevent rumours after the special status of the state was scrapped. Suspension of the communication — landline, mobile and internet — network evoked sharp reaction, particularly from the families whose relatives were outside the valley.
It was in the last week of August that landlines were restored to subscribers connected with Barzulla and Sonawar telephone exchanges. Landlines phones of subscribers, including all media organizations, from main BSNL telephone exchange were restored only on September 5.
Due to suspension of internet service, journalists working for different media organizations, including News Agencies, were badly hit. However, later administration set up a media facilitation centre at Sonawar in the city, where journalists are filing their stories to their respective media organizations. (Agencies)
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