Fear psychosis: Five BSNL franchise shuts in 10 Kashmir districts

Srinagar, June 1: All the five main Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) franchise operating in ten different districts of Kashmir Valley Monday closed their outlets after the re-surfacing of threatening posters and ‘mysterious’ attacks on people associated with telecommunication sector.
With the shutdown of the BSNL franchise outlets in all the districts, the sub-franchises and retailers have automatically wound up their business as a result from Monday not a single pre-paid BSNL subscriber was able to recharge his cell phone.
“There are five BSNL franchise all across Kashmir and every franchise has been doing business in two districts each. We called a meeting and decided to close our outlets from Monday morning. All the outlets in Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara are completely shut now. We are feeling scared after the attacks in North Kashmir and re-surfacing of threatening posters in some parts of South Kashmir,” a BSNL franchise told CNS on condition of anonymity.
Another franchise revealed that the company asked them to close their outlets if they are scared. “We don’t want to take any chance. We have little children and don’t want to fall prey to unknown gunmen,” he said.
With the closing down of all the five main BSNL franchise outlets, the pre-paid subscribers can neither get recharge for their cell-phones nor people can get new BSNL pre-paid sim cards. “Every franchise does a business up to tune of Rs five lakhs per day and the closure of franchise outlets means a huge loss to the company and the people associated with it,” said a BSNL official.
Meanwhile, communication system was badly affected in scores of hamlets in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Reports said that besides BSNL, the services of other private cellular companies were not satisfactory in the district. Except Pulwama and Pampore towns the mobile service was hit in almost all the hamlets including Khrew, Konibal, Andrus, Chandhara,Inder, Puchal, Tahab, Ratnipora, Lelhar, Patal Bagh and other areas.