Mir Jalal, a professional working in New Delhi could have spent this Ramadhan with family in Srinagar after years.
Like other organizations, his office allowed employees towork from home days before the government announced countrywide lockdown toprevent spread of coronavirus.
But unlike his colleagues, he could not shift to hisSrinagar home owing to ban on high-speed or 4G internet in Kashmir.
Like Jalal many Kashmiri professionals, researchers andstudents who are into jobs or studying in different parts of India were forcedto stay away from their families.
These professionals working away from their families in adeadly viral outbreak say that a small step by government could have given thema great opportunity to stay among their loved ones while performing theirprofessional work.
“Few days before the country-wide lock down was implemented,our organization like others instructed us to work from home. Many of mycolleagues, friends from other states of India moved to their home as theircompanies also asked them to work from home,” Jalal told Greater Kashmirover phone.
“I work with anindependent research organization as a media assistant and my job usuallyrequires me to work with high end software which requires high-speed internet.I had to stay back as I cannot continue my work on 2G internet. Other thanworking with high-end software, my job usually deals in uploading multimediacontent on internet. In Kashmir, with 2G internet it takes overnight todownload a pdf file. Working in such conditions is impossible for aprofessionals like me,” he said.
These professionals say if restrictions on 4G internet hadbeen lifted, they could have been with their families like everyone else in thecountry.
Shahid Hussain works in an IT company at Bangalore and isalso pursuing an online academic course. He said both his studies and work wereinternet-driven, which he could have done from his home had there been no restrictionson 4G internet.
“The availability of even2G internet service is uncertain in Kashmir. You never know when situation willtake a twist in Kashmir and there will be not even 2G and in such circumstancesyou can end up losing your job. My work is IT-driven so it is impossible towork on throttled internet. Back home one cannot benefit from online classes aswell when you have a very low speed internet. In such cases many Kashmiris likeme are forced to stay away from home,” Shahid said.
Despite repeated calls from students, professional and manypoliticians to resume high speed internet in Kashmir, J&K administration onMonday again extended the ban on internet till May 11th in Kashmir.