Commercial hub landlines dead since Sept floods

The businessmen said the telephone disconnectivity has emerged as a major hindrance in efforts to put back life to normal.  “Apart from making phone calls, telephone is essentially needed for connectivity to swipe credit and debit cards. But for the past four months this activity is dead,” the shopkeepers said
They said the landline had also been providing a “reliable means of internet connectivity.” “In the absence of internet connectivity our inventory database and other softwares have not been working properly,” the traders said.
Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation Media Head Farhan Kitab who runs a shop in Regal Chowk expressed serious concern over the dead landlines. “The plight of telephone connectivity is enough to convey government concern towards the revival of life in our flood hit Srinagar,” Farhan said.
He said even though the matter was brought into the notice of the concerned, results were awaited.
When contacted BSNL PRO Masood Bala said the matter has already come into their notice and efforts were on to give respite to the subscribers. “Actually underground cables were badly damaged by floods, we have sought permission to relay new cables and this process is likely to start in the coming days,”