Shortage of essential commodities in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir
By Mudasir Ahmad Khan
Srinagar
With hundreds of trucks loaded with essential items stranded on Srinagar-Jammu highway, problems of common people in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir have multiplied. On Sunday many residents in various localities of Srinagar city told this reporter that the government has failed to maintain supply chain and were not allowing shopkeepers to open the shops, resulting acute shortage of essential items like milk, vegetables etc.
Sensing trouble on the ground district authorities of Srinagar have already asked people to contact them so that they can bring the essential items to their door steps. With police and security forces strictly enforcing lockdown in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir, common people are finding it extremely difficult to get the essential items to carry on their daily lives.
While in the rest of the country, the government has started doing payments to laborers, construction workers and also distributing free ration, there are no such signs for the people of Kashmir. Kashmir valley has remained under lockdown from the past 8 months with some restrictions still on the speed of internet, huge chunk of population is now without money and the fresh lockdown of COVID-19 is only adding to their problems.
District authorities of Srinagar should instruct police and security forces to create a supply chain and allow shopkeepers to sell the essential items and not trash people on the streets and file FIR’s against them for violating the lockdown which has entered into 10th running day in Kashmir.
Meanwhile the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was blocked at over a dozen places by landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ramban district, leaving hundreds of trucks carrying essential commodities to Kashmir stranded and authorities are busy to clear the highway.
