The Internet shutdown in Kashmir since August 5 has not only devastated the private sector, but also taken a heavy toll on various government services and departments.
From the ambitious Electronic Public Distribution System (e-PDS) to filing application forms for driving licences and filing of Income Tax Returns – every aspect of day-to-day government functioning has been badly affected by the four-month long Internet gag.
Implemented with much fanfare in 2018, the e-PDS project of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department is witnessing hurdles due to the Internet shutdown.
As per officials, the Point of Sale (PoS) devices used in the e-PDS for maintaining digital records of food grain distribution are completely Internet based. “Internet shutdown has been making it impossible to operate this system,” said an official wishing not to be named. He said around 3600 PoS machines installed at ration depots and fair price shops across the Valley for catering to almost 14.50 lakh beneficiaries have been rendered dysfunctional due to internet shutdown.
“With no internet,the officials have to take details of food grain distribution manually. This isquite tedious and leaves room for error as huge data is piled up for months,”said the official.
The internet ban isalso a hurdle for more than 70,000 government employees in Kashmir who are notable to submit Income Tax Returns. Income Tax officials said they have notreceived any communication from Central Board of Direct Taxes over extension ofITR date which was earlier extended till November 30 in view of the internetgag.
The e-tenderingprocess has also taken a hit as contractors find it difficult to get access tointernet which has a direct impact on developmental works.
After more than two months, Labour Department recently resumed the Contributory Provident fund (CP Fund) service to account holders from its Jammu facility. While thousands of employees who achieved superannuation recently and were awaiting for the final CP Fund withdrawal heaved a sigh of relief, the fund holders, however, say processing of their cases “only from Jammu is proving to be a tedious task.”
“Our withdrawalrequest has to go to Jammu which takes a lot of time,” said Muhammad Amin, aretired government employee.
Th registrations and renewals of the Labour department which is frequented by several employees and businessmen have also come to a standstill.
“Establishments andorganisations which ought to register themselves with the Labour Departmenthave been unable to do so for a long time due to non-functioning of theinternet,” said a trader.
Internet services on all platforms are blocked across Kashmir since August 5 when Central Government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two union territories.
Internet blockade has also made 1200 Khidmat Centres defunct, with their financial and utility-based services shut. Khidmat Centres established by Jammu and Kashmir Bank under Service Centre Agency ( SCA) was envisaged in the national e-governance programme but has not been able to meet its purpose due to internet ban, say Khidmat Centre owners.
“In absence ofinternet, we are unable to deliver any of the ‘government to customer’ servicesfor which we were roped in. Our business operations are dependent on internetconnectivity. We urge the authorities to restore internet so that ouroperations can start again,” said Tehseen Hussain, president, Jammu and KashmirKhidmat Centre Association.
The transportdepartment has also been hit by the internet ban as people are unable to applyfor online driving licences. Besides, transporters say that due to the internetban they couldn’t submit the fee of formalities like vehicle fitness andinsurance during last few months. The aggrieved transporters said they are nowforced to pay hefty late fee for no fault of theirs.
“In absence of internet we are compelled to submit vehicle fee like insurance, token, licence fee from outside Kashmir through online mode which every transporter cannot afford. There was no internet even in RTO’s office till a month back and we were instructed to submit online fee at the Old Secretariat. However, most of times we returned disappointed due to one or the other technical glitch there,” said Farooq Ahmad, a transporter.
A doctor at aSrinagar hospital, who also teaches at the attached medical college, saysdoctors rely on the internet to consult colleagues. He says medicos also sharerecords with other doctors online, particularly while seeking a second opinionwhich has been hit by the internet gag.
Patient data remainslargely undigitized in Kashmir hospitals due to internet shutdown, says thedoctor. “Doctors need to use the internet to update themselves and learn aboutnew drugs, diagnostic tools, etc. Without access to internet, the quality ofpatient care is affected. We are also not able to communicate with colleaguesin other cities and countries. We need to know and confirm drug dosages, andmany of these activities require access to the internet,” says the doctor.