A curfew and a separatist-called shutdown continued for the 10th day yesterday, crippling life in Jammu and Kashmir.
The government ordered schools and colleges to close for one more week amid an information blackout due to a ban on local newspapers.
Police said no fresh violence was reported from the state which has been battling the deadliest unrest in years triggered by the July 8 killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
“The situation in the valley remained more or less under control,” a police official said.
But the continuous restrictions, which were imposed immediately after Wani was killed along with two militant aides, have paralysed life in Kashmir. Shops and businesses remained shut though at some places, grocers had partially opened their shops in the morning.
People complained that their stocks of groceries and other food items have dried up. The state is suffering severely due to a shortage of essentials, including medicines.
The government yesterday extended the school and college summer vacations for one more week till July 24. The education institutions were scheduled to reopen tomorrow after a two-week summer and Eid vacations.
“The summer vacations in the schools and colleges have been extended by a week,” Education Minister Naeem Akhtar announced here.
The decision was taken in view of the ongoing unrest that has left more than 40 people dead in the last 10 days of street violence.
Amid the information blackout forced by the government, no newspaper could hit the stands for the second day yesterday. The government has asked newspaper owners to suspend publications till tomorrow.
But their online editions continued.
Cable television operations were allowed on Saturday evening after remaining suspended for a day. But Pakistan-based TV channels and two private Indian channels were not allowed through cable TV.
Mobile phone Internet and call operations remained suspended in parts of the state. Mobile phone operations without any Internet facility are, however, continuing on post-paid mobile phones provided by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
Train services between Baramulla and Banihal town in the Jammu region also remained suspended.
All recruitment interviews scheduled for the next four days have been cancelled by the state Public Service Commission.
Meanwhile doctors have proved to be the unsung heroes: they have been working day and night, without proper food, facilities and beyond their rosters to treat those injured.
At the Shri Maharaha Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital, there are at least 25 doctors who are working beyond their shift hours.
As the number of admissions continues to rise, the emergency ward of the hospital keeps on reverberating with pro-freedom slogans every time a new patient is brought in. The doctors manage to attend to the patient with the help of volunteers who control the “angry” mob.
“In the first four days, we received an injured person every 15 minutes. The scenes were horrifying. They would be drenched in blood and people would start shouting slogans as they were brought in,” a doctor said on condition of anonymity.
“I have been in the hospital since (last) Friday and I have been home only once to change my dirty clothes.” 
At the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, volunteer Ilyas Khan, who was distributing food to doctors and attendants said: “I have never seen such scenes before; not even during (the 2014) floods when there was nothing to eat.”