Broadband services to resume for govt hospitals in Kashmir from midnight

Broadband services to resume partially in the valley after more than 140 days of suspension. Govt run hospitals to be the first to get the services at midnight. SMS services will also be restored at midnight.

Jammu: The broadband internet services will be restored to all government-run hospitals in Kashmir from midnight on Tuesday (December 31), Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal said. "It has been decided to restore internet connectivity to all government hospitals with effect from midnight December 31, 2019," Kansal told media persons.

Kansal further said that the short messaging services (SMS) on mobile phones will also be restored in Kashmir Valley from midnight. "You are aware that on December 10, machine-SMS services were enabled on mobile phones in Kashmir in order to facilitate students, scholarship applicants, traders and others," said Kansal. "From the midnight of December 31, 2019, SMS services on mobile phones will be fully restored throughout the valley of Kashmir," he added.

All network and landline connections were suspended across Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 in view of security concerns in the region following the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 that granted special powers to the region. Back on October 14, postpaid mobile services were restored in the remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Central government had abrogated Article 370 and also bifurcated the former state into Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The new UTs came into being on October 31.