Residents despair as Communication Gag continues

Today marks the 39th day of curfew in Kashmir. The private mobile phone networks remain suspended. Internet blocked. Roads deserted.
In the current scenario, when all sources of communication have been snapped, people are increasingly getting desperate to know what is happening in others parts of the Valley.
“The situation is getting worse than the 2010 unrest. We are suffocating. Phones are not working. At least children used to surf the internet and tell us what is happening in other parts of the Valley, but now we have been deprived of that too,” says Mubeena Begum (50), a resident of volatile Old City Srinagar.
“The situation that has been created is only bringing frustration to everyone,” she adds.
In the uptown areas of Srinagar, the roads are deserted. Except for the presence of security personnel patrolling the streets, there is hardly any movement. The shops are shut. Even the chemist shops remain mostly shut.
“The government is pushing us to the dark ages, not knowing that this is only aggravating things,” says Shoaib, 26, a university student.
After the fresh killings on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the anger among residents has swelled.
There is hardly any source of communication in Kashmir except for the BSNL postpaid phone services. The BSNL broadband internet services, which were working till a few days ago, have also been shut.
“There is no way to know about our dear ones. This gives rise to rumours. One locality thinks something wrong is going on in another locality. Such curbs only worsen the situation. The government is not letting the people to breathe. It has totally failed,” says Saqib Ahmad (24) from Srinagar.
Residents said they had not seen such strict curfew in the two-decade-long conflict.
Most of the Kashmiris living outside have no idea about their families in the Valley as phone services were again snapped on August 13. People say that the government’s communication gag has only increased their worries.
“The government is absent from the scene. Everyone is suffering. We are running out of essentials, the government is only creating problems,” said Fareeda, another Srinagar resident, adding that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, whom they expected to provide some succour to the Valley, has let them down.