A CRPF jawan gestures a Kashmiri man to turn back in Srinagar. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)Several government-run schools in Jammu-Kashmir reopened Monday after restrictions were eased in parts of the state. Officials told new agency PTI that arrangements were made for the opening of 190 primary schools in Srinagar. However, according to PTI, not many students were seen inside classrooms despite teachers reporting to work.
Private schools across the capital city remained shut for the 15th consecutive day as parents were apprehensive about the prevailing security situation in the Valley.
Only Police Public School at Bemina and a few Kendriya Vidyalayas saw a handful of students turning up, PTI reported.
“There is so much uncertainty in the situation that sending kids to school at this stage is out of question,” Farooq Ahmad Dar, a parent, said.
Officials in Baramulla district said schools in five towns remained closed. In the rest of the district, schools were opened, they said.
“There is no relaxation in restrictions in Pattan, Palhalan, Singhpora, Baramulla and Sopore towns. Primary schools in the rest of the district are open. We are collecting details about the number of students who have reported at their respective schools,” an official said.
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A senior Srinagar district official said a few schools on the periphery were opened but in the old city and in civil lines areas, they remained shut due to violence over the past two days.
Authorities had planned to open schools up to primary level and make all government offices functional from Monday.
In Srinagar city, barricades were removed from areas where the situation has remained peaceful since the Centre announced the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories on August 5.
Markets in the Valley were shut while public transport remained off roads. The movement of private vehicles in the city increased after restrictions were eased.
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On Sunday, barring a few areas, the communications blackout continued across most parts of the Valley.
While fixed-line telephone connections in some areas of Srinagar and other parts of the Valley including tourist resorts were restored, major telephone exchanges in the region remain shut. And in Jammu, mobile Internet services in five of ten districts were suspended again, 24 hours after being restored.
The state has remained under an unprecedented communications blackout since August 5, when the Centre moved to end the special status of the state and bifurcated J&K into two Union Territories.
with PTI inputs
