Srinagar, October 05(KNB): Jammu Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) President Feroze Peerzada on Sunday said that the consistent denial of 4G services in Jammu and Kashmir is designed to inflict ‘collective punishment’ for the people of J&K.
In a press statement issued to Kashmir News Bureau, Feroze expressed his anguish over the constant ban on 4G service in J&K and said that the ban has a crippling impact on various sectors in J&K particularly the economy.
Quoting the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Feroze Peerzada said that in the five-month following the Internet shutdown of August 2019 various businesses in J&K incurred a loss of 178 billion rupees approximately and over 500,000 jobs losses. The tourism industry, health, education and many other sectors are badly affected due to the absence of 4G services.
“Even our education sector is adversely affected due to the absence of high data speed (4g) of the internet, Feroze said and added “Online virtual classes are not yielding good results because the students neither find comfortable in receiving video lectures nor are able to download the materials fetched to them through WhatsApp or Zoom app. As a result, the student community of J&K has suffered badly.”
Appreciating the efforts of Civil Service aspirants, Feroze said that it, however, heartening to note that despite the lack of proper intent services our students have achieved good results in various competitive exams like IAS and KAS but still the continuous ban of high data internet service has no logical reason.
“The United Nations, to which India is a member state, has declared access to the internet a human right and has recommended that every country should make access to the internet a fundamental human right, then how can we be denied to such a right,” he said.
Feroze said that when the government has allowed 4G in Udhampur and Ganderbal, then why not in the rest of the districts. There has not been any news of law and order situation in these two districts after the 4G services were restored, then for what government is waiting for?
“Albeit, the government allowed 4G services in these two districts on a trial basis and despite the success of the trial, the government is still keeping the population away from the 4G facility,” JKPM President said and requested the authorities to restore the 4G service in J&K as soon as possible.