Srinagar: Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader Er Nazir Amad Yatoo on Friday appealed heads of all political parties not to go with begging bowl to central government for restoration of 4G Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement issued here, senior PDP leader, Er Nazir Yatoo said, “2G in not enough, it is a good joke with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Centre government wants to deceive the rest of world by saying we have restored internet in Jammu and Kashmir, but the truth is, common people can’t even download basic files,” he said.
Yatoo said, every Kashmiri politician begged centre government to restore high speed internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, but unfortunately the centre didn’t showed interest in favor of people of J&K.
Er Nazir Yatoo said, businesses in the valley have suffered losses worth crores since August 5, thousands of salesmen were pushed to stay at home. Sectors like tourism, horticulture and agriculture have been the worst hit. “First the internet shutdown and now the internet speed added to losses due to disruption in online sector after August 5th,” Yatoo said.
Er Nazir Yatoo said economy of J&K is in the throes of calamitous crisis and that small and marginal entrepreneurs, students, medical fraternity and traders are the worst hit.
“The government is no more sincere with the people as well as politicians of Jammu and Kashmir, he said .
He said, at a time when online business has taken a severe blow in Kashmir, centre government is talking about giving new 50,000 jobs, one fails to understand the policy of centre government. When they are in no mood to restore evem high speed internet services, how can they provide new jobs to kashmiri youth?, Yatoo questioned.
Yatoo said, in this time, when the world is fighting to stop the spread of deadly virus, International bodies like “Amnesty International” are repeatedly urging centre to restore high-speed 4G internet services in Jammu and Kashmir to help people in preparing against the spread of coronavirus.
Yatoo observed that restoration of 4G mobile internet services across Kashmir would have enable people to remain engaged inside their homes in this tough time, but the centre government is in no mood to restore the service, despite repeated calls from the various heads of political parties.
Doctors, nurses, and other health care workers are gearing up to work round-the-clock when this pandemic kicks in with full force across the world. Every moment will deal a frantic life or death situation of urgency, but slow internet services in such a time is highly unacceptable, PDP leader said.
The medical fraternity in this time has taken a big hit in absence of high speed mobile internet services while netizens of Kashmir have also suffered hugely,”
he said, while urging the heads of local political parts, not to beg infront of centre government.
“It has been more than seven months for students to stay home after the central government locked down the region to prevent protests against abrogation of Article 370 in August last year. “The loss could have been now compensated by online classes. One fail to find a logic in restricting high speed internet in this time”, he said.
Meanwhile, senior PDP leader appealed all political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, not to go with begging bowl before centre government for restoration of high speed internet service and it is enough now.