Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, June 3: Police today restored telecom networks across Kashmir after unknown militant group Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) threat posters and attacks led to major disruption of services.
Director General of Police (DGP), K Rajendra, slammed United Jehad Council (UJC) and reiterated that militants are behind the series of attacks on telecom operators. “This is the handiwork of militants. We have identified the outfit. Some people have been identified. We are acting against them”, he told reporters in Awantipora, South Kashmir this morning.
When asked about the statement in which the UJC has distanced itself from the attacks, the DGP said: “The reality won’t hide with their refusal. Strict action and steps are being taken against those responsible for the attacks.”
The Police chief said that if needed some of the towers can be shifted near the security camps. “If need arises we will shift the mobile towers near security camps,” he said.
Police took over majority of the cell phone towers sites last evening in North Kashmir where the services were worst affected and provided security to the telecom operators, who restored the services.
The police action followed after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took a review meeting yesterday and directed Director General of Police (DGP), K Rajendra, to ensure restoration of mobile phone services. The militant amalgam United Jihad Council (UJC) and Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani had also appealed people associated with the telecommunication business to restore the networks.
North Kashmir was worst affected where the LeI threat posters were pasted followed by a series of attacks on telecom operators in which two persons were killed and three injured. This was followed by an attack in Srinagar’s old city area where one person was injured when militants hurled a grenade at a cell phone tower in Kral Khud area.
DIG North Kashmir, Gareeb Dass, told Excelsior that the 90 percent of the mobile services have been restored in North Kashmir. “We have restored 90 percent of the telecommunication network in North Kashmir including Kupwara, Handwara, Sopore, Baramulla, Pattan and Bandipora,” he said. “Now, there are places where we have technical problems and administrative issues which will be addressed soon”, he added.
Dass said that special teams of Police and security forces took control of the cell phone towers last evening and by this afternoon 90 percent of the networks were restored. “Security forces would be deployed at sensitive places and there will be patrolling as well”, he said.
DIG South Kashmir, Nitish Kumar, told Excelsior that cell phones services have been completely restored in South Kashmir. “Our affected area was less and only those area of Tral, Awantipora, Shopian and Pulwama which has militant presence. The other areas were not affected at all. We have restored the networks in all the areas where it were affected”, he said.
Police said that 1058 towers were shut down following attacks and threat posters and out of which 609 were restored and 449 are in the process of restoration and some of these have technical and administrative issues. Sopore, Shopian and Handwara were worst affected where 175, 105 and 111 towers were affected out of 177, 108 and 130 towers respectively.
In Srinagar out of 714 towers 141 were affected and 91 were restored so far and 50 are yet to be restored. In Budgam out of 391 towers 122 were affected and 69 were restored so far and 53 are yet to be restored. In Ganderbal out of 131 towers 23 were affected and 6 were restored so far and 17 are yet to be restored. In Anantnag out of 398 towers not a single tower was affected.
In Pulwama out of 123 towers 101 were affected and 62 were restored so far and 39 are yet to be restored. In Kulgam out of 207 towers 21 were affected and 17 were restored so far and 4 are yet to be restored. In Shopian out of 108 towers 105 were affected and 55 were restored so far and 50 are yet to be restored. In Awantipora out of 140 towers 74 were affected and 59 were restored so far and 15 are yet to be restored.
In Baramulla, out of 297 towers 185 were affected and 110 were restored so far and 75 are yet to be restored. In Sopore out of 177 towers 175 were affected and 81 were restored so far and 30 are yet to be restored. In Handwara out of 130 towers 111 were affected and 81 were restored so far and 30 are yet to be restored. In Kupwara and Bandipora not a single tower was affected.
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