Centre Plans to Restore SMS in Valley, Days After J&K and Ladakh Become Union Territories

New Delhi: The Centre is looking at restarting SMS services in the Kashmir Valley, as well as restoring, albeit on a selective basis, broadband connections in government offices, schools and colleges, and some private hotels of the region.

SMS services were curbed in the Valley on October 14, hours after postpaid mobile connections were restored there for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.

According to reports, however, mobile internet will continue to be banned for now, while restoration of broadband services is aimed at helping the state administration, students, tourists and visitThe development comes even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to restore the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was also attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh.

The Valley has been cut off from the rest of the country for more than 100 days as the Centre banned communication services there and deployed thousands of paramilitary troops to curb any potential law and order situation there in the wake of revocation of its special status.

In recent days, however, as part of its efforts to restore normalcy in the region, the government also lifted the ban on entry of tourists in the Valley.

Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh, whose split into two separate union territories (UTs) was also a part of the August 5 announcement, became UTs on October 31, under the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act.ors.