J&K administration to set up 300 telephone booths for locals to communicate with loved ones. An advisory was issued by the administration regarding the development. There have been many pleas to restore communication in the Valley

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday said 300 special telephone booths will be established to help locals in the region communicate with their loved ones. The development comes on the eve of EiD celebrations.

An advisory issued by the administration indicated that some of the calling services have been activated in various areas, including Aligarh and New Delhi, to help students from Jammu and Kashmir communicate with their families ahead of EiD.

Many students and Kashmiris living outside the state have been requesting the government to restore communications in the area. The government had imposed restrictions in the Valley after it decided to scrap Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Following the advisory, a direct order was also issued by Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik. He said help would be extended to those students outside the state, who wish to go home for EiD celebrations.

On Friday, the government sanctions Rs 1 lakh to each liaison officer to organise EiD festivities for students from the state, who are not able to visit their home due to restrictions, said a Raj Bhawan spokesperson.

The governor has issued directions for setting up telephone lines in deputy commissioners' offices for students to talk to their families back home.

Three hundred special telephone booths are also being established to help people communicate with their loved ones, the advisory said.