Broadband, 2G Internet partially restored in Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi, Jan 15: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday partially restored mobile Internet in parts of Jammu region and broadband in hotels, travel establishments and hospitals.

The 2G mobile connectivity on post-paid mobiles for accessing white-listed websites including e-banking will be allowed in districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi all in the Jammu region.

In a three-page order, the home department said additional 400 internet kiosks will be established in Kashmir division.

Internet service providers will offer broadband facility (with Mac binding) to all institutions dealing with essential services, hospitals, banks as also government offices.

Mac Binding means to enforce a client machine to work from a particular Internet Protocol address.

In order to facilitate tourism, broadband internet would be provided to hotels and tour and travel establishments.

The decision to restore internet services in the valley comes after the Supreme Court ordered the Jammu and Kashmir administration to review all restrictive orders within a week.

The court said that freedom of the internet is a fundamental right under Article 19(1), which deals with free speech. Trade and commerce through the internet is protected under Article 19(1) (g), which deals with the fundamental right to conduct trade and commerce.

The top court was delivering its verdict on a batch of pleas, including that of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad challenging the restrictions imposed in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) following the abrogation of provisions of Article 370.

On November 21, the Centre had justified restrictions imposed in J&K after the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 and said that due to the preventive steps taken, neither a single life was lost nor a single bullet fired.