After five months, SMS services to start from tonight in Kashmir: J&K Admin

No decision on internet restoration yet but service restored in schools, hospitals

Srinagar, Dec 31: Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday said that SMS services will start in Kashmir from 12 in the midnight after a gap of almost five months while as there was no official decision on the restoration of internet services.

According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), addressing press conference at Jammu, principal secretary to Government, Rohit Kansal said that SMS services will start functioning again in Kashmir from 12 in the midnight. “J&K government has decided to restore the SMS services in Kashmir from today midnight. There is no official decision as to when the internet services would be restored. The issue is under active consideration of the government,” Kansal said. He said that internet services would be restored in Kashmir soon when the situation would be “conducive.”

He said that, however, a decision to restore the broadband internet services will be restored in all government hospitals and schools in a “phased manner.” . Pertinently, on August 5, when Centre announced to scrap the Article 370 and to bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union Territories (UTs), mobile phone services and internet services were snapped across J&K. On October 14, postpaid mobile services were restored while as pre-paid phones were not restored. Majority of pre-paid customers have switched to post paid numbers in the past over a month. (KNO)