Schools, Colleges in Kashmir Valley to Reopen in Phases Starting Monday; Govt Offices Resume Work

New Delhi: Schools and colleges in the Kashmir Valley will reopen starting Monday, the 15th day of lockdown in the Valley, in a phased manner, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said on Friday.

The chief secretary also said that public transport will be made operational soon, and government offices have been functional from Friday, as the government looks to ease the strict restrictions it imposed in the Valley after revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

Phone lines in large parts of Sringar also will be made functional starting Saturday, Subrahmanyam announced in a press conference.

Earlier, home ministry officials in Delhi said that a call on relaxing the clampdown on landline, mobile and internet connections will be taken by the respective district administrations.

Sources, however, said the communication blackout in other parts is likely to continue for a few more days, but landline connections could be made operational in a phased manner.

Governor Satya Pal Malik, meanwhile, has directed the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar and government offices to resume normal functioning from today.

The governor has also ordered for making arrangements to facilitate the government employees' movement to work, news agency PTI quoted a Raj Bhawan spokesperson as saying.

Governor Malik took the decision after a review of the security scenario in the state that ensured peaceful Independence Day celebrations across the state, including in its various district headquarters and elsewhere, the spokesperson said.

He said the government would be watching the situation during Friday prayers (namaz) and based on the day's developments, relaxations could be considered for the general public as well, he added.

The governor conducted the security review in a high-level meeting attended by his advisor and the state government secretary amongst others at the Raj Bhawan here in Srinagar and expressed satisfaction over the security scenario in the state, said the spokesperson.

"There were no untoward incidents anywhere. Strong security arrangements were in place which thwarted any attempts to disturb the celebrations," he added.

Kashmir was placed a under a total clampdown on August 5, hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha that the special status for the state had been revoked.

While schools are closed for the past two weeks, shops and other business establishments too remained shut since August 5.