Schools, colleges and government offices to reopen in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday

Schools, colleges and offices have remained shut in Jammu and Kashmir for the past 15 days, following abrogation of Article 370.

Pic courtesy: IANS

In the first major step towards normalcy, schools and other educational institutions will reopen in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. According to sources, the schools for lower primary classes will be reopened in a phased manner starting Monday.

Apart from schools and colleges, government offices are also set to reopen in the Valley.

Schools, colleges and offices have remained shut in the Valley for the past 15 days in the wake of the elaborate security arrangements put in place by the government. Several paramilitary personnel were airlifted to Jammu and Kashmir from different parts of the country even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government announced abrogation of Article 370, which provided special status to the region.

Addressing a press conference, Principal Secretary – Planning and Development – Rohit Kansal said that over 190 primary schools would be reopened in Srinagar on Monday.

This comes a day after senior IPS officer and advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, K Vijay Kumar, told Zee News that the situation was returning towards normalcy. A better strategy, devised by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba had led to peace in the region.

He said that it was a major challenge to detain those who could foment trouble, adding that strict action would be taken again miscreants who make attempt to spread rumour through social media platforms. Legal opinion has also been sought on issues that are of concern to the authorities.

Kansal said the process of easing of prohibitory orders and providing relaxations continued on Sunday as well. Relaxations were provided in 50 police stations on Sunday as against 35 police stations on Saturday, and the duration in the relaxation was increased from six hours to eight hours.

In a statement, Kansal was quoted as saying that no untoward incident was reported from the areas where relaxation was provided. According to the statement, traffic including public transport plied and shopkeepers opened their businesses.

Kansal said that it was the endeavour of the government to restore all the landlines to their full functionality as soon as possible.

"BSNL officers and technicians are working continuously to restore the working of exchanges across Kashmir valley," he said. "The government will attempt to restore infrastructural and developmental works as the overall situation further improves," added Kansal.