¡°Exactly a year ago, curbs were imposed in the valley. The special status of the state, given under Article 370 was scrapped and a new tomorrow was promised. Today, exactly after a year of that consequential day, restrictions have been reintroduced - what do you think has changed?¡± lamented Aadil Nazir Khan, a resident of Tangmarg, Baramulla.
Others don¡¯t disagree with Khan. From economic hardship to extended school closures, the newly formed union territory has been facing several difficulties since the last 365 days and there are no green shoots promising a better future.
The lack of high-speed internet access has further aggravated the situation, and in some cases, has even affected the mental health of the civilians.
Work from home is not an option for the people. Suhail, working in a Noida-based IT company, somehow managed to reach his home in valley¡¯s Kunzer district in May during the lockdown. To his surprise, despite all promises, nothing much had changed on the ground. What¡¯s worse, due to the lack of 4G connectivity, he has hardly worked in the last three months.
¡°I tried downloading a 250 MB file which was necessary for me to work from home. Guess what, I tried it for the entire night and failed. My internet speed is 45kbps. Can you even think of working with this speed? I cannot even share my screen during office meetings¡±.
Suhail, like many others who left metro cities during the pandemic to live with their family, now risks losing his job.?
¡°Lack of the internet is your problem, not mine, my manager told me when I explained the reasons for the delay. All my other colleagues who have gone to live with their families are working perfectly fine. They may even be promoted, but I can lose my job anytime.¡±
Wasim* has a similar story to share. An engineer by profession, he first left Kashmir before August last year when he found his job at Amazon in Bangalore and then in Dubai. And now he is back. Jobless and stressed.
¡°I am the only son of my parents. I just couldn¡¯t stay away from my parents in these times. What opportunity will this place offer me? With already slow network and increased internet usage in the lockdown, I can¡¯t even watch a video online, forget working¡±
Last year, just after scraping the autonomous status of J&K, the government was quick to announce a Global Investors Summit to provide employment opportunities in the region. A year has passed, the summit never actually took off and it now faces more delay due to the pandemic.
But the bigger question remains - what good will the summit do in the absence of fast internet connectivity?
The impact of restrictions on the economy is clearly visible. Kashmir¡¯s economy incurred an estimated Rs 40,000 crore losses in the last year, according to the report of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI). The job losses are pegged at 5 lakh across sectors.?
Restrictions and internet shutdowns have only fueled the sense of desperation and mental distress among the citizens of the Union Territory.?
¡°Moving back from Noida to Kashmir has absolutely impacted me mentally. It was my new job, I had hardly worked there for 6 months and now there is no financial security. I can¡¯t even learn any new skills to enhance my portfolio for the future. It¡¯s like we are stuck in a time warp¡±, complained Suhail.
Mental trauma and distress are not new for people living in J&K. A 2015 survey by Doctors Without Borders claimed that? 45% of the population have shown symptoms of mental distress. That means a whopping 1.8 million adults. Over 41% of the population showed signs of depression, and anxiety was prevalent in the 26% population.?
Now just add a year of restrictions, COVID-19 pandemic, lack of access to education, and internet shutdowns to estimate the current scenario.
Children too are at the forefront of facing these difficulties. While many schools across the country have turned to the online method of education, it is a distant dream for schoolchildren in the valley.
They haven¡¯t missed months, but almost a year of schooling and the woes continue. First, it was the dilution of article 370 and its aftermath which kept children away from schools, and when they finally opened after the winter break in February, the pandemic struck.
Like children at our homes, Wasim¡¯s sister too tried taking online classes. ¡°There was an app she used, it disconnects several times in one minute. At last, she just lost any hope of learning¡±, he added.?
Moon and stars were promised to J&K citizens and continuation of these restrictions has exposed the holes in such claims.?
While the administration has time and again cited security reasons behind denying access to internet lockdown, civilians are simply not convinced.?
¡°What good is the Digital India campaign if you can¡¯t provide internet access to an entire Union Territory?¡± Suhail has a question for all of us