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| North Kashmir goes cyber less, owner close down cafes | | | Syed Tahir Bukhari
BARAMULLA, Mar 24: This North Kashmir district has become a place where no cyber cafes exist so that people could access the internet. The cyber cafes have been shut by the owners fearing security problems.
A cafe owner of Baramulla town said that the closing of internet cafes has affected the business of their owners. This café owner said that they are ready to shut down their business rather than being questioned and summoned by the authorities. This he accepted has caused unnecessary inconvenience to the people since a self imposed blanket ban is there on the cyber cafes.
"I had started an internet café at Azad Gunj in 2008 but the police and other security agencies used to come here for questioning very frequently. I found it unsafe and I had to wind up," said Zahoor Ahmad.
Zahoor said a number of unemployed youths had gone in for the cyber business and accordingly hired shops and commercial spaces to install computers. He said 80 per cent of the cyber cafe owners had taken loan from Jammu & Kashmir Bank on high interest for purchasing of computers.
"There is procedural way for everything we do and we have not forcibly shut any cyber café in the town,'' said a police official in the town. The police official said that they have asked the café owners to maintain a log in the local cyber cafes in order to keep a record of visitors. He said the log should contain details with the copy of the identity cards to be submitted who have access to the computer systems.
A group of students told Early Times that in this age of communication and technology they are being denied the opportunity to access the internet. The students said that when there is no ban on cyber cafes in any other part of the state, why North Kashmir's Baramulla district only.
"We collect a lot of information from cyber cafes and going to these places has become a part of life in the information era. Their importance is more resounding since every child does not have computer system and internet connection at home," said Shazia Farooq, a student.
An unemployed youth who used to run a cyber café at Sopore town till 2011 says he ran a cyber café at Sopore for which he and his brother were picked up by police many a times. "And, it was really embarrassing," he said, wishing anonymity. "In spite of presenting all the clarification and running a cyber café in a procedural way, I was being harassed by police."
The café owners said that police had directed them to install CCTVs which may cost them one lakh rupees. The café owners said that their business has shown a downslide trend. Pertinent to mention here as per the ministry's guidelines, Cyber Cafe owners are required to maintain log register recording information about every individual visiting the cyber cafe. |
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