Restrictions on the movement of people in the Kashmir Valley were eased on Saturday, with landline services restored in some areas of the city, even as stringent security arrangements continued to be in place, officials said.
The restrictions were eased on Saturday morning to facilitate the movement of government employees towards their offices, they said.
The officials said the security forces continued to remain deployed, while barricades remained on the roads, but people were allowed to move after checking their credentials.
There was increase in movement of private vehicles in the civil lines area and other district headquarters of the Valley, the officials said, adding that some inter-district cabs were also seen plying in Dalgate area of the summer capital.
Some shops in the civil lines areas of the city opened on Saturday morning, the officials said. However, most of the business establishments, including fuel stations, remained shut.
Landline services restored in valley
Landline services were restored in some areas like Raj Bagh and Jawahar Nagar, but remained suspended in most parts, including the commercial hub of Lal Chowk, Press Enclave and other areas around it, they said. The services in 17 exchanges of the Kashmir Valley were restored on Saturday, officials said.
Seventeen out of a little over 100 telephone exchanges were made operational. These exchanges are mainly in Civil Lines area, Cantonment area, airport of Srinagar district.
The landline services have been restored in Budgam, Sonamarg and Manigam areas of central Kashmir. In north Kashmir, the services have been restored in Gurez, Tangmarg, Uri Keran Karnah and Tangdhar areas.
In south Kashmir, the landline services have been made operational in Qazigund and Pahalgam areas.
Telephone line services, including mobile phones and landlines, were suspended in the early hours of August 5 when the Centre abrogated provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
2G mobile internet services restored in parts of Jammu
Low-speed (2G) mobile internet services have been restored in five districts of Jammu region after remaining suspended for a fortnight, officials said on Saturday.
The 2G mobile internet services have been restored in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi districts around midnight following an order by Inspector General of Police, Jammu zone, they said.
The officials said the high-speed (3G and 4G) mobile internet services will be restored after a fresh assessment of the situation.
However, the services continued to remain suspended in Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts, the officials said.
