Back To 4G

After eighteen months of suspension the government has finally restored high speed mobile internet services in Jammu-Kashmir .Though the people are happy that 4G is back nothing can detract from deep sense of grievance that it took the administration 550 days day to restore  it from the ban on 5August 2019.That is why much more than the celebration it was the latter sentiments that found vent on social media. And that too not only in Kashmir but also outside the region with many celebrities noting this fact in their tweets.All these months the government kept denying the high speed Internet on the suspicious ground that doing so was a security risk.This despite the fact that the ground situation in the Valley has remained calm over the past one and half year.So no matter what the government said it’s security argument to keep 4G internet suspended didn’t hold water. Truth was the valley did not witness a protest or a stone throwing incidents in a long time. The restoration followed weeks after private schools association of Jammu-Kashmir filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India seeking restoration of high speed mobile  Internet. The association pleaded that the children of Jammu-Kashmir have already lost two academic years as it was impossible to conduct online class using video conferencing tools such as Zoom or WebEx at 2G mobile Internet speed due to prolonged closure of schools after August 5,2019 and then on the account of COVID-19 pandemic. This is true of the students of Jammu-Kashmir were the worst victims of the lack of 4G.For almost two academic sessions they were unable to study and largely because of the bank on high speed mobile Internet. The poor students suffered the most as unlike the house holds they couldn’t afford fixed line Internet. Thousands of poor students have thus been left behind.They couldn’t adequately participate in the online teaching by their schools.Their ability to compete with the students who could attend online tutorials by virtue of having fixed line Internet has thus become moot.It should take the poor students some time to catch up.Trade union ,tourism and students welcomed restoration of 4G in Jammu-Kashmir.I think that government has realised how much losses our economy has suffered .Now high speed Internet would especially help the young, budding, entrepreneurs who are dependent on social media.Though the government has realised it now the impact of non availability of high speed Internet will last long.Education sector suffered a great deal over the last year and a half.It was kind of a collective punishment to us for no fault .Hope that the security situation remain good so that these services continue without any interruption .The restoration of 4G Internet is better late than never.A high speed mobile Internet will be a bone for not only the education but also for the business as whole.Last but not least I would like to request the people of Jammu-Kashmir to maintain cordial ,nonviolent and  peaceful atmosphere in Jammu-Kashmir so that our government not stop high speed mobile Internet services .The people  should realised that their own acts and activities are responsible for scrapping high speed mobile Internet in Jammu-Kashmir and not the government.
Yours
Mool Raj