Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) Residents on fixed cellphone contracts in India-controlled Kashmir were surprised to discover they had been billed for the two-month, government-imposed communications blackout when it partially ended earlier this week. India restored partial services at noon Monday for about 4 million people in the Kashmir Valley with fixed contracts. Shafqat Bukhari, from Srinagar, told CNN that he was "disgusted" to be billed for the more than 70 days that his phone was unusable during the blackout. We're also getting calls about pending bills for the period when the service was unavailable," he told CNN. They now have to ask friends and family outside Kashmir to help pay outstanding bills, as their phones services cannot be reconnected until the accounts are settled.

Source: CNN October 15, 2019 09:00 UTC