Syed Sehrish Asgar, however, admitted that things are completely normal in the Valley yet.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration today said that the situation in the Valley has improved significantly, and certain educational institutions located in areas where restrictions have been eased will be reopened on Wednesday."The situation in Kashmir is getting better with each passing day. As many as 3,037 primary schools and 774 middle schools have been reopened already, and high schools are set to reopen too," Director of Education (Jammu and Kashmir) Younis Malik said at a joint press meet held with other officials.
Mr Malik said that efforts were on to improve attendance in educational institutions. "There has been a significant improvement in the attendance of teachers too," he added.
Director of Information & Public Relations (Jammu and Kashmir) Syed Sehrish Asgar, however, admitted that the situation was still far from ideal. "Nobody is saying that everything is normal. We are just saying that the number of exchanges has increased. The BSNL is carrying out technical work, and they will ensure that lines are opened in a couple of days," she said.
Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police Haseeb Mughal denied reports that people were not being allowed easy access to medical institutions due to roadblocks still in place. He also maintained that the region witnessed no major incidents of violence in the recent past, barring a few stone-throwing episodes that were quickly quelled.
Jammu and Kashmir was placed under lockdown as a "precautionary measure" earlier this month, when the centre took the surprise step of scrapping its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcating it into two distinct union territories. It also placed many of its political leaders -- including National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti -- under house arrest. They are yet to be released.
"Shops may be allowed to reopen in places where restrictions have been eased. The government knows that the number of students attending schools that have reopened is still low, but we are trying to bring the situation back on track. We have also asked public transport agencies to revive services in certain areas," said Ms Asgar.