Peaceful precincts across Kashmir valley Monday reverberated with buzzing sounds of different ‘ringtones’ after a gap of 71 long days, bringing back smiles on the faces of common people, including businessmen, students and tour operators.

Large number of people, staying away from Kashmir, especially those who had failed to get connected with their loved ones in the absence of land line facilities, finally heard their parents speak, children ‘giggle’ after a long gap.

Many local residents in Srinagar cheerfully claimed, “It was like Eid is round the corner”. 

Rough estimates suggested around 40 lakh post paid subscribers across Kashmir valley were connected to the outside world. 

Mobile calling facility was suspended across all the networks since August 5  when Home Minister Amit Shah announced the Government’s decision to nullify Article 370 to strip Jammu & Kashmir of its special status, and also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories.

Since morning, every one was seen hooked on to their mobile phones and struggling to get connected as the authorities had announced that the services would be restored around 12.00 p.m. Initially the network was slow but as the day progressed people started talking to each other freely and exchanged greetings.

Despite shutdown, most of the streets, wore a festive look across different parts of Srinagar and other district headquarters following restoration of mobile calling facilities.

Tour operators in Kashmir valley are looking forward to fresh arrival of tourists in the coming days following restoration of mobile calling facility. Security forces are also expecting to intensify their counter terrorist operations across Kashmir valley on receipt of real time information from different ‘sources’.

Since August 5, total incidents of militant related violence had come down drastically.

Students, staying away from their classes and gearing up for their competitive exams, are also expected to resume their studies with a positive frame of mind to make up for the loss of two months of class room studies. Health care providers also heaved a sigh of relief as they were facing lot of hardships in the absence of communication facilities in providing best facilities to their patients.

In Kathua, Governor Satya Pal Malik defended the communication blockade in the Valley saying safety of Kashmiris was more important than mobile services which the terrorists use for their activities and mobilisation.

“People used to make noise that there is no telephone. We stopped telephone services because terrorists were using them for their activities, mobilisation and indoctrination,” Malik said at a police function here.

“For us, the life of a Kashmiri was important and not telephone. People were living without telephones earlier also,” he added.

Asserting that mobile phone services were restored now, he said people can go about their normal lives and claimed that tourists had begun arriving in the Valley.

He also ensured that internet services will soon be restored.

“Young boys and girls were having difficulties earlier but now they can speak to each other. Now, there are no issues. Very soon, we will restore internet services,” he remarked.

The Governor said that the situation in Kashmir was normal and there had been no violence in the last more than two months.

He said in the last two months, “not a single bullet” was fired in the Valley and no protests had taken placed as he credited the security forces for their strict vigil.

“The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) had congratulated me for this. I said that I am not worthy of the praise and you should thank the Kashmiri people and the police forces for taking steps to ensure that law and order is maintained,” Malik said.

He termed the J&K Police as one of the best police force in the country and promised to increase the compensation amount offered to them.