Weary of Internet blackouts, Kashmiris with school kids opts to stay back

Kochi: Absence of a train to get back to their homestate was a heartburn for Kashmiris settled in the state and on Wednesday, their wish came true when a special train began its journey to Udhampur from Thiruvananthapuram . None of them would have to pay for tickets as the Jammu & Kashmir government has agreed to bear the cost.

But around 20 Kashmiri families in Fort Kochi with school-going kids have decided to stay back because of frequent internet blackouts there.

Nasir Khat, a curio shopowner, decided not to join his cousins and shop employees who are taking the trip because he expects online classes of schools to start soon. “In Kashmir there is no internet facility we can trust. On Tuesday, something happened and they have stopped it. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow; so rather than taking the risk we thought we would stay here,” said Khat. His children — 10-year-old Zainab Nasir and 6-year-old Mohammed Dayyan — are studying in Gregorian Public School, Maradu.

Sajid Hussain Khatai, president, Kashmiri Traders’ Welfare Association, said he himself chose not to go because he has a kid studying in Choice School. “Around 20 families have taken such a decision because you cannot rely on internet connectivity in Kashmir and they don’t want the academic year to be disrupted,” Sajid said.

According to reports, Jammu & Kashmir government has so far brought back 74,218 residents stranded in other states due to lockdown.

The Shramik train, which began journey on Wednesday, carried around 945 passengers. Of this, 540 passengers boarded the train from Ernakulam South.

Kifayat Hussain, one of the passengers in the train, said the train was allotted because of the help from state government and Ernakulam district administration. “Kashmir govt arranged this train totally for free. We don’t even have to pay for food. From Udhampur, we would be taken to Srinagar in bus. CPM arranged the buses for us and we didn’t even have to pay for it. I want to thank the Kerala government for this,” said Hussain. Back home, apart from the solace of being with your near ones many of them would not have to bother about paying rents. Though the lockdown has been relaxed, their businesses have taken a huge hit because it is intrinsically linked to tourism, one of the most impacted sectors.

Kashmiris are spread in tourism zones of Kerala like Kovalam, Varkala, Kumarakom and Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.