Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party Chairman Harsh Dev Singh has said that with the mobile internet services having been blocked in the Jammu region for the past 85 days since August 5, the Govt had failed to come up with any convincing explanation for the said ban. He termed this ban as cruel joke with the people of the region. Addressing a press conference here, Harsh Dev lamented that restoration of said services was ordered for a day in August itself but snapped again by taking the flimsy ground of ‘technical snag’. And subsequently the Govt started taking the plea of security concerns and national interest which are often used as overriding mantras by Govt to justify any of its authoritarian moves, he added. Singh said that helmsmen had once again rendered themselves as objects of ridicule by their flip flop and by making such fatuous, funny and contradictory statements. It was wholly unjustified to deny such communication links to people more especially in Jammu region where the situation was completely normal and the people were feeling hostaged due to Govt curbs, Singh said. He further said that under the garb of misuse of internet by anti- nationals, the incumbent Govt misused its powers to cover up its own incompetence and its failures to check the mischief mongers, saboteurs and offenders of law. Criticising Govt functionaries for the arbitrary and highly contemptible blanket ban on mobile internet services, Singh questioned the State Govt as to who would compensate for the losses sustained by various sections of society on account of the said decision. Pointing out that the functioning of the state including various private organizations and media houses besides others had came to a grinding halt, he said that the business houses, banks and other commercial organizations in this era of digitalization had suffered immense losses worth hundreds and hundreds of crores due to Govt’s unwarranted move. He said that online bookings, reservations, online shopping, student activities pertaining to filling up of forms, had been adversely impacted with huge sufferings caused to general masses.
