Jammu & Kashmir's Sopore village gets mobile connectivity for first time

Residents of Rampura and Rajpora ( Khudgoo Mungluu) forest area of Sopore Baramulla has finally got access to mobile network connectivity for the first time on Thursday. The Residents of this forest area have been demanding phone connectivity for years. Their demands were finally fulfilled after Reliance Jio operationalised a mobile tower in the forest area after Seventeen years of the phone services launch, according to media reports.

The mobile phone services were launched in Kashmir in 2013 when the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee received the first call from the former state chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The villagers can now stay connected to the world through voice calls and internet connectivity.

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4G Internet to be restored on a trial basis in selected areas of J&K 

Last month, in a massive development the Centre has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court suggesting the restoration of 4G internet service in Jammu and Kashmir on a trial basis in selected areas. This decision that comes as a relief for the people in Jammu and Kashmir, Centre told the top court while hearing the petition related to restoration of high-speed internet in the valley that 2G to 4G restoration will be done in one district in Jammu and one district in Kashmir on a trial basis for two months and the process will begin after August 15.

Maintaining that 4G will increase the security threat in the valley, Centre has in its affidavit prepared after consulting its special committee and local authorities stated that services will not be resumed in any area adjoining international border/ LoC and only areas with low intensity of terrorist activities will be considered for the process.

READ | Terrorists attack Indian Army convoy in Sopore, one CRPF jawan injured; area cordoned off

Current internet scenario in Kashmir

Restrictions have been put on communication links since August 5 in Jammu and Kashmir as the Centre abrogated Article 370 and which defined the permanent residents of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, thus giving special rights to J&K. These restrictions were subsequently eased after the Supreme Court upheld that the continued ban on the internet was 'violation of freedom of expression'. BSNL has restored internet services throughout the Kashmir valley.

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