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. Mobile internet and broadband remained suspended on Tuesday, as well as phones using prepaid SIM cards.

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.

"They are charging us for the non-service period, which is not fair. Only incoming calls work. We're also getting calls about pending bills for the period when the service was unavailable," he told CNN.

While many residents welcomed the resumption of services, others still found themselves locked out on Tuesday. 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.

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