Internet ban: Subscribers in Kashmir approximately pay Rs 2.5 crore for data they cannot use

SRINAGAR: Internet subscribers in Kashmir lose an estimated Rs 2.5 crore every day the authorities snap the connectivity, reported a local English daily on Friday.

According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) figures, Jammu and Kashmir has around 12 million subscribers, of which, seven million are in Kashmir division that includes Kargil and Leh districts.

So, on a day when authorities shut internet the subscribers in Kashmir pay around Rs 2.5 crore for data they cannot use.

Cellular companies, fearing “termination of their contracts”, are left with no options other than following the order of the administration to snap off the internet from their respective users, the newspaper quoted an official as saying.

This year alone, the internet services have been snapped in Kashmir for more than 15 times.

Since 2012, According to Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC), a Delhi-based non-profit organisation, J&K has witnessed highest number of internet shutdowns among the rest of the Indian states.